back at 11:00 a.m. for a çó news#q& well.. for a have a great one. >> take care. # good morning, miracle in the mountains. new details this morning on how a family survived days in subzero temperatures. the way they kept warm and stayed alive. feeling the heat. president obama returns to the white house this morning facing his lowest approval numbers ever. while also coming under fire for this selfie at nelson mandela's memorial. first on "today," from presidents to pop stars, to the pope. who will be "time's" person of the year for 2013? we're revealing their choice, live. and all we want for christmas. mariah carey takes us home for the holidays. she welcomes us into her home

for an exclusive live tour today, wednesday, december 11th, 2013. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. and good morning. welcome to "today" on this wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer. >> good morning, everyone, i'm savannah guthrie alongside al roker and natalie morales. here's a live shot. tamron hall already inside mariah carey's house. all i want for christmas is a couple of pairs of shoes from her closet. do you think i can do it? >> reporter: yes. she considers herself the queen of christmas. we'll talk about life as a princess, this theme, and i'll get in the shoes closet. >> tamron has permission. this isn't breaking in. >> reporter: shh.

>> we'll get to the top story. it is a remarkable story of family survival for two nights in the frigid nevada wilderness. nbc's miguel almaguer has the latest on the story. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. the family is together, all here at the hospital in very good shape. they are doing well after surviving temperatures of just 2 degrees. they were rescued in conditions, 2 degrees. they were able to stay alive by sticking together and making a few smart decisions. it was a rescue that defied the odds. [ applause ] >> reporter: a family of six missing three days in subzero temperatures found alive and well. >> this community came together and helped us come to a successful conclusion. >> reporter: it began sunday with a trip to play in the snow. james glanton, girlfriend christina mcintee, and four children ages 3 through 10, took a drive to the seven troughs

mining town. a desolate back country near lovelock, nevada, where the negative 16-degree weather can be deadly. >> it is subzero temperatures. >> reporter: after the family failed to return home, the national guard launched helicopters, but it was search teams on foot who spotted the first clue. >> we found footprints in the snow from the kids, so we knew we were on the right track. >> reporter: just council the down the road, the family's overturned jeep and james glanton did all he could to keep the family alive. >> he had a camp fire between the jeep and bank and was putting big rocks in the fire and getting them hot so the heat would come off the rocks and heat up the inside of the jeep. >> reporter: all six were airlifted to a local hospital where much of the small community gathered waiting for any news. >> thank god our prayers were answered.

>> mild hypothermia, but again, nothing that was something they couldn't recover from quickly. >> reporter: what some here are calling the miracle before christmas. a family who stuck together and survived what so many feared they couldn't. the family was rescued in an area where there was no cell service. searchers pinpointed their general location by using a last ping at a cell tower. remarkably, they are only suffering from dehydration. the family should be released in a few hours. >> an amazingly resourceful family. thank you. >> it's prompted discussion on the set of whether we would have the wherewithal to know what to do in a situation like that. >> i said definitively, no, i would not. >> no right off the bat. >> i'm out. >> no starbucks? that's it. come on. >> latte. another blast of arctic air is rolling through parts of the midwest this morning on the heels of that storm that blanketed part of the east in snow. temperatures in the teens,

single digits, even below zero in some places. nbc's katy tur is trying to keep warm in chicago. >> reporter: trying, matt. yesterday's low of negative 6 degrees is the coldest it has been here in 35 years this early in the season. it's only expected to get worse. in chicago, the mercury is deceiving. temperatures above zero on the maps are below zero in reality. >> we could see 15 to 20 below zero wind chills. >> reporter: here whipping winds made for wicked walks. and although a coating of snow in washington, d.c., on tuesday shut down the national zoo, lincoln park zoo is open for visitors. although almost no one is showing up. it's so cold, the polar bear is going back inside of her cave. she only came out a couple inches. the polar bear. in minnesota, runners are weathering the weather, whether they like it or not. >> one of the best compliments you can give a runner is, "you're crazy." >> reporter: out east, snow

closed government offices and schools in d.c. canceled flights in new jersey, and left some generally grumpy in new york. >> i hate snow. >> reporter: highways were snarled with jackknifed semis and overturned cars while other were left spinning their wheels. 9 degrees right now with the wind chill. that's probably the high for today. the temperatures are going to start plummeting as the day goes on. the snow stops around 10:00 a.m. 1 to 3 inches. it could get as bad as negative 30 degrees in some areas overnight. savannah? >> cold just thinking about that. thank you very much. now to washington. president obama returned to the white house early this morning following his brief trip to south africa. we'll have more in a moment. first, a bipartisan budget deal has been reached to avoid another government shutdown. chuck todd, nbc's political director, chief white house correspondent, has that and details in a new poll. good morning. >> a new poll.almost a halleluj. not the grand bargain many were

hoping for and certainly not a solution to the country's long-term fiscal problems. but the fact that the federal government might not shut down for two years is a start. a rare moment of bipartisanship on capitol hill. paul ryan representing house republicans and patty murray representing senate democrats, announcing a budget deal tuesday, taking the prospect of a government shutdown off the table for two years. >> this bill reduces the deficit by $23 billion. and it does not raise taxes. it cuts spending in a smarter way. >> it is an important step in helping to heal some of the wounds here in congress. >> reporter: the deal couldn't have come at a better time. our nbc news/"wall street journal" poll shows a majority of americans call this congress one of the worst ever. to washington today, our poll shows he's hit a record low. 54% of americans disapprove of mr. obama's job performance. the worst rating of his presidency. what's driving americans' opinions of the president? while mr. obama's confronted a

lot of tough and unpopular issues in 2013, his current plight is driven almost entirely by health care. 58% say it's the factor. and perhaps more troubling for the white house, 50% of those polled say they are disappointed or dissatisfied with the obama presidency. just 28% say they're proud or satisfied. we recently sat down with a focus group of swing voter in ohio. most of whom voted for obama in 2012. their disappointment in the president was palpable. >> he lost focus on his goals. >> he said a lot of things, but he's turned out to be just another politician. >> i think he's botched the affordable care act. >> reporter: they're at a complete loss on how to actually punish either party for the dysfunction in washington. it seems that you want to punish everybody but not reward anybody. how do you punish washington? >> i think it's part of the anger and frustration, it's not an easy way to do that. >> you feel helpless? >> yes. >> i just want him to make it

work. i don't know how to convince him to do that. >> your poll reflects this sentiment president obama has his worst disapproval ratings. health care's the main driver. presidents have these moments in their second terms. the question is, can he recover from it? >> that's what you look at, reagan, clinton, bush 43. two have recovered. all four hit this moment. one of them didn't with bush. and it's interesting now, a lot of people make the comparison is health care president obama's katrina. and there's a lot of evidence to say it is working the same way. you've seen the same drop in approval rating. same drop in personal favorable rating. leadership issues. suddenly i helped to the other side. here's the one difference -- president bush had multiple issues. katrina, iraq, a bad economy. for the president, if he turns around health care it could be more like what happened with

clinton. clinton got out of that with lewinsky because the economy was turning around. >> let me ask about the budget deal. hooray, the government's not going to shut down. paul ryan was the republican negotiator. he's got a lot of street cred with the conservative wing of the house republican caucus -- >> you wouldn't have known it last night on twitter. >> i was going to say, is it going to pass? can he sell it? >> is it going to pass? yes. is it probably going to pass with more democrats than republicans even though brian, this is no liberal -- though paul ryan, this is no liberal republican in name only, there are conservatives trashing this deal. an example of one -- marco rubio who the senator from florida might run for president, 20 minutes after the deal was announced, he puts out a release saying he's against the deal. this had everything to did with republican primary politics and nothing to do with the deal itself. i think conservatives might make it very hard for some republicans to vote for the deal. >> before you go, 20 seconds, raul castro, president obama exchanging a handshake at this memorial service for mandela. what's the white house saying about this? obviously the president's been criticized for this.

>> they're saying a handshake is just a handshake. savannah, i think we'll e we've all been to funerals where there are people you don't like at a funeral. you don't air grievances at the funeral. that's what the white house is saying, guess what, he shook hands, of it the polite thing to do. >> the new poll and political headlines, thank you. over to matt. >> thank you. the body of nelson mandela was moved to the south african capital of pretoria overnight where it's now lying in state. and big crowds are lining up to pay their final respects. nbc's lester holt is there. lester, good morning to you. >> reporter: matt, good morning, the gorgeous backdrop behind me known as the union buildings. the seat of power here in south africa. it sits on pretoria's highest point. and in front, you see the temporary white shelter surrounding the casket carrying the body of nelson mandela. the public has been filing by for several hours as the long farewell continues. in the hot sun, thousands line up for a final glimpse of mandela and to offer their

personal farewells. >> pay my last respect and just to honor his name and memory, as well. very important. >> reporter: the coffin draped in the national flag arrived earlier here at the union buildings. the same place mandela was sworn in as the first black president. >> never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one or another. >> reporter: his body to lie in state for three days. family and political dignitaries came ahead of the public to have their last moments with a man they shared with the world for so long. tears flowed freely. a sharp contrast to tuesday's exuberant memorial celebration of mandela's life. president obama's speech -- >> too many of us on the sidelines comfortable in complacency and cynicism when

our voices must heard -- >> reporter: resonated powerfully with the audience and assembled world leaders. and that handshake with cuba's president, a true mandela moment. >> it's the power of nelson mandela to bring president barack obama together and raul castro together here in south africa. >> reporter: the selfie with the danish and british leaders hogging the front pages today, a get-together moment mandela himself may have relished. mandela's body will lie in state for three days. each day his body will be taken by funeral cortege to the streets of pretoria. before i send it back to you, there's controversy involving that memorial service yesterday. and it's specifically about the sign language interpreter. according to the deaf federation of south africa, the head of the organization, he was a fake. he said he was moving his hands,

but there was no meaning of what he was using his hands for, and a deaf member of parliament here followed up and said his hand and arm movements communicated absolutely nothing. >> that's ridiculous. lester, thank you very much. what a time to decide that. >> as you look, you can see. >> the same thing over and over again. >> same thing over. >> meanwhile, what about the picture making the rounds this morning? a lot of people talking about the selfie taken. that is the danish prime minister, david cameron there, as well. the prime minister of great britain and president obama taking a selfie at the memorial service. and a lot of people are asking, it was appropriate. we'll get into the second part of this. what do you think? >> i think some people thought it's not appropriate because it's a funeral. on the other hand crew wasn't a funeral. it was a memorial service. a celebration. >> singing and dancing around them. >> if you widen up, it does not look like mrs. obama is amused.

there's a different angle this. if you go back to the original selfie, she does not look incredibly amused. people are saying perhaps she was angry about the behavior. >> i think we've all been caught in the moment. you get your picture taken where you don't have the right expression. she's at a memorial service, a somber occasion. >> she could have been thinking about a thousand other things. you have no idea, no way to read into that. >> they're going to take it and go with it. question. >> the selfie that launched a thousand captions contest. >> sure did. >> sorry, guys. you have to be in it to win it. they're hoping to make up as an instant millionaire, you are going to have to try again this friday. no tickets sold in lost night's $344 million jackpot. kerry, good morning. >> good morning, natalie. this is what a winning ticket would look like. i bought this ticket this morning. so if these numbers hit on

friday, the lottery has rolled over to $400 million. if you take the right numbers and you win your lump sum payment after taxes, $216 million plus. or if you decide to take that money say over 30 years, the money would be about $1522 an hour. that's before taxes, which is about $25 a minute even while you're sleeping. >> ka-ching. >> kerry sanders, we hope you don't win because we want to see you around a long time. >> thank you. a texas woman pleaded guilty tuesday to sending ricin laced letters. former act stress pleaded guilty in court of sending a biological toxin. her prison time would be capped

to 18 years. before she was arrested in june she tried to frame her now estranged husband for mailing the letters. tensions at a new high in ukraine. an anti government demonstration in kiev. protesters are angry over the the government's decision to back away from a agreement that would strengthen ties with the european union. and remember elian gonzalez, the cuban boy who made headlines. he is making his first trip overseas. he is 20 years old. he is attending a youth conference in ecuador. he slammed the united states for its embargo against cuba. he was just 6 years old when he was found off the coast of florida clinging to an innertube. he was placed with relatives in miami. but his father fought to successfully have him returned

to cuba. and twitter is welcoming a new member. george h.b. bush sent out his first tweet tuesday and paid homage to nelson mandela and expressed regret that he could not attend the memorial service. >> welcome, mr. president. that's great. >> see you on instagram. >> mr. roker here with the bitter cold moving into the east now. >> and we've got big lake-effect snows to talk about. this is in polaski, new york. near oswego. greatest in the nation. you have cold air coming across the warmer waters of the lake. and you can see these streamers now setting pup, bringing a lot of snow in here. buffalo, new york looking at snow showers today. how much snow are we talking

about? well, look at this. between syracuse, watertown, upstate new york, 24 inches. could be up to three feet of snow. the bitter cold from bismarck all the way down to illinois, bitterly cold temperatures. 8 below to 21 degrees below. during the day today, minneapolis will feel like 22 below. indianapolis, 13. and then tomorrow morning, minneapolis, you'll feel like 16 below. omaha, 13 below. 6 below in indianapolis. year going to get to your forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds.

good wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist, christina loren. temperatures are not as frigidrc this morning. the ska is hazy. it is another winter spare the temperatures have climbed this morning into the 30se1 everywhe at this point. everywhere isu above freezing p se except for up in the northok ba. you might encounter a little bit of black isolate ter today. we are goingxd to hit the upper 50s. the warmup conti&á[j through thi >> we are talking about another big winter storm here in the northeast. >> another one. >> we look forward to it. >> a little whine with our dinner. >> another one to look forward to al. >> we're done already. coming up is security tight enough at your children's school? the rossen report hidden camera

investigation that parents need to see. >> you won't believe mariah carey's home. she goes all out for christmas. we'll have an exclusive with the super star coming up. >> we'll be talking about the time person of the year in a matter of minutes now. we have it down to five. three of them americans. ted cruz of texas, bashar al assad. edward snowden and pope francis. those are the final five. we'll have the reveal in just a few minutes. before that we want you to go to the orange room, #time poy. let us know who you think ought to be time person of the year and we'll have the big reveal in a few minutes. but first, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up

but, soft... what light... ... through yonder window breaks ... it is the east ... and juliet is the sun good night! good night... parting is such sweet sorrow... that i shall say good night 'til it be morrow.

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whaaaaa! he does exist! they do exist! uhm... santa? i'm laura garcia-cannon. dozens of firefighters are still on the scene of an okovernight fire. they gutted the building in concord. this is what itxd lookedñi like moments after flames erupted. crews now tell us they have the fire contained. firefighters spent the night attacking the fire from above and on the ground. the owner was at the buildingok part of the roof of the 55,000 collapsed. investigators are looking into the cause.jf asiana air crash at sfo is now underway. washington, d.c. at the marathon sñ&a%=9 cramming two days wort of hearings into one.

one thing that's already come e1$earing, the p stressed about trying to land because theñixd runway's automa service. if you would like to wadbñce1it we are streaming the hearing live on nbcbayarea.com. want to check the forecast with meteorologist, christinaxd lore. good morning. happy to report it is not as cold out there. definitely seeinght morning, only places where we have the 20s. santa rosa andw3 napa, 39 degre in san francisco. 35, ñmountainview. the o]g&1 friend is a milder start to the day with temperatures now running about 5 yçó at this time yesterday. this afternoon, the comfort starts to kick in. the upper 50ñisxdok return. a couple of low 60s in places like gilroy. oakland, 59 degrees.ñi happy to report, we keep thatçó t/roh this weekend and into next week. and take a peek at this, mike. 70s return on monday.

over tofá you.  seen that for a while. i have an orange too. that's ñrsunrise, florida. it is still cold. this is what you are dealing with, southbound 110. what's your dealing with on the north bound side. heading intofá the same area in palo alto. slow out of mountainview. the backup starts before you get out of 237. that should recover over the next half xdhour.jf we still have thatw3 volume of traffic slightlyçó increasingxdr the south bayk and your tho big issues. the bay bridge toll plaza, we have the backup. slow off thexd berkeley curve. back to you. i'll be back in half an hour with an update. see you then.lplp

>> 7:30 on this wednesday morning. it's december 11th, 2013. a cold day across much of the country. we hope you'll share your imagines with us. this is the #todaysunrise. good morning everybody. >> and here's a look at what's making headlines this morning. it's the extreme cold. the coldest of the season weather-wise in parts of the midwest like chicago where tonight's low is expected to be 2 degrees. >> nelson mandela's body is now lying in state in south africa's capitol of pretoria. >> and she will become the next

ceo of general motors and the first woman ever to lead a major auto maker. >> we love her story how she made it to the top job. coming up from presidents to popes to pop stars. who is your pick for the person of the year? all will be revealed as time magazine will share their choice with us live exclusively here on today. and we all love the hit "all the i want for christmas is y you." she is inviting us into her home. tamron is standing by and mariah is waiting. we can't wait for that. >> we have a rossen report on school security as we approach the anniversary of the newtown shooting. jeff is here with what he found. >> good morning. my daughter is in elementary school so i know this hits home

for me and so many of you at home. since newtown we heard a lot about schools ramping up security overall to protect kids or teachers from any violence or crime. we wanted to know if it's working. so we're going from school to school. from big cities to the suburbs. >> reporter: it's the middle of the school day and i'm a stranger walking in off the street. we're testing school security in new jersey with hidden cameras rolling. at this elementary school there's a buzzer. >> i'm jeff. i just want to make an appointment with the principal. >> jeff who? >> jeff rossen. >> they let me in but before you get to classrooms there's another locked door. a staffer has to physically escort me to the office. >> you can't walk around this school without getting signed in first. pretty good. >> reporter: at this next school, security is even tighter. a guard intercepts me before i even get to the door. he demands my i.d.

>> i'm going to need it? >> yeah. >> reporter: we were encouraged at four out of five schools we visited we were kept far from kids and classrooms. but watch what happens at this elementary school. >> good morning. i'm here to go to the office. >> reporter: they don't ask for my name and there's no one to escort me. the school's policy is for visitors to go to the office. i turned down this hallway looking for it and within seconds. >> there are classrooms on every side of me here. there's a classroom here. the gym is right over here. another classroom over here. easy access. >> reporter: i'm still looking for the office and stop at this classroom for directions. >> where is the office? >> if you go down the hall and turn to the right it's on the left. >> reporter: no questions asked about who i am after two full minutes, no one stops me. only when i get to the office

does a staffer flag me down. >> sir. >> yes. >> the school's pta called our results a wake up call. >> what do you make of this? >> this is incredibly problematic. >> reporter: we showed our video to a security expert. >> something like this, two minutes of not being challenged, there's too much harm you could have caused if you had intent. >> reporter: but he is even more troubled by what our station wnbc found when they went undercover in new york city. the reporter got right into seven out of ten schools. >> i have a harder time getting into my friend's apartment building. >> reporter: at this school he is able to bypass the metal detector roaming the halls and getting into a gym with kids. later the guard is surprised when approached. >> they didn't sign you in? >> no, i just walked right in. >> reporter: the nypd helps train these guards and vowed to investigate.

the city chancellor reacted on camera to the video. >> we have around 135,000 staff that work with us. you have issues with some people need to be trained and trained better and some people don't need to be in the system. >> reporter: experts say until all schools have robust security, parents should be concerned. >> visitor security is absolutely critical and you need your best first line of defense is at the front door. >> the sensitive issue in some of the schools we visited are quite concerned. as a parent, what can you do? when you visit your child's school can you get in easily? what questions are they asking you? is someone there to escort you to the office? if they aren't doing it for you, chances are they aren't doing it for everyone either. the best advice is speak up guys and talk to administrators about the security plan. >> disturbing to see. >> one of the more depressing reports i've seen in a long time. >> scary. >> eye opening. >> it is. let's get a check of the weather from mr. roker. >> announcer: today's weather is brought to you by kay jewelers.

every kiss begins with kay. >> and we are starting off with some light snow. a little bit of a clipper coming across the great lakes and so chicago seeing a few dplflakes. no big problem but turning colder by the afternoon. it's 14 degrees. we are also looking at plenty of sunshine through the gulf coast. sunshine out west. but here's the storm we're talking about. it's coming all the way from the west coast and by saturday it's spreading an icy mix, a wintry mix along the coast. snow inland and then along the coast a mixed bag of rain, sleet, snow and gusty winds continuing through sunday. now, a couple of models disagree as we get on toward thursday and friday. we'll have a better idea. but get ready. if you're traveling this weekend, allow yourself some extra time here in the

hey, good morning to you, xd al. good morning to you at home. our cold snapxd finally coming a clothes with temperatures this morning milder by about 5-8 degrees. we are still at the freezing mark. up in the north bay,iat)c+elt( cautiously there, really,w3xh)ey good to hit the upper 50s across the board later on today. 57 there. east bay, wantjf to show you th picture. you can see it is hazy. that's going to befá the story l day long.ñi we do have ñiunhealthy levels o pollution, not just for today. tomorrow ast( well.tpbetter airs we get intob(v and saturday. thank you very much. we are revealing "time" magazine's person of the year. >> then, on trending, come on down. bob barker making his return t the price is right. first, these messages.lpr [ woman ] "the levian family have been masters of jewelry design for centuries." ♪ this levian collection is amazing. maybe it's time to start your own.

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time to reveal time's person of the year. the top five, bashar al assad. senator ted cruz, pope francis, edward snowden and edith windzor. you were here the other day and revealed the top five. once again remind us what qualifies or disqualifies someone from being the person of the year. >> person of the year is the person that had the most impact on events and our lives for better or worse this year. >> do you take reader input or is this only up to the staff at time? >> we make the ultimate decision but we poll readers and correspondences. so we get a lot of input. >> you know what's on people's minds. let's start with number five and work our way up to the person of the year. at number five we have senator ted cruz of texas.

one of the architects. >> he divided even his own party. he is a hero to the tea party and he is pure heartburn to the establishment of his party. he is a significant symbol of where our politics is headed. >> all right. let's go to number four over here and at number four we find the only head of state on the list. >> and a reminder that person of the year is not necessarily a good guy. president assad two years after president obama said he has to go, he is still there which is a reminder that absolute brutality and some strategic cleverness can keep you in power in the middle east for a long time. >> so he ends up at number four. let's move over at number three. at number three we have someone. i think people heard this name for the first time probably this year. edith windsor. some people aren't sure why she is on the list. >> an 85-year-old widow becomes

an icon for the gay rights movement. >> it resulted in striking down of the federal defense of marriage act. >> and really she is a symbol of an extraordinarily fast change in attitude to this country. two years ago amajority of people didn't approve of gay marriage. now that number is reversed. >> it leaves us with number two. when we reveal number two people will know who number one is. we have edward snowden at number two and pope francis at number one. >> let's go person of the year, pope francis. time's person of the year was pope francis. it was a very interesting choice this year. he stood out as someone that changed the tone and focus of one of the largest institutions. >> it's not the first time a pope has been person of the year. >> no. >> we got a statement from the vatican this morning.

from the pope. and it says this, the holy father is not looking to become famous or to receive honors but if the choice of person of the year helps spread the message of the gospel, a message of god's love for everyone, he will certainly be happy about that. >> that's what you would expect him to say. so much of what he has done in his brief nine months in office has changed the tone coming out of the vatican. he is saying we're about the healing mission of the church and not about the theological police work that has preoccupied. >> okay. now we go to edward snowden at number two. obviously someone that created a lot of headlines with his leaks this year. created tension between two world super powers. >> he pushed a crucial conversation of our time about the balance between privacy and security. about how we feel about just how much information the government can gather on us. we had an interview with him. he thinks it's very important that that debate be happening in a much more intense way.

>> that interview occurring over e-mail i believe. >> that's right. >> the person of the year for 2013 is pope francis. nancy, thank you very much for revealing it right here on the show. >> nice to be here. >> we appreciate it. who will win the famed orangey? it's almost as big as person of the year. we're talking about for the year's best digital dance off. willie is handing out the award in the orange room. then on trending, a new picture of super model gisele getting ready for a photo shoot that's getting a lot of attention. we'll talk about t

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you. this is coming down to voting at today.com. what does the fox say? we met them earlier this year. this is al roker's favorite guest. the prancercize lady. we have the harlem shake and who can forget shannon, the usher for the detroit pistons getting a run for his money. they go head to head earlier this year. coming up in our next half hour we'll announce our winner and you'll meet them live in our studio. do you have any favorites going into this? >> what does the fox say? >> i don't know if that's a digital dance off or just a great viral video. >> we'll get the verdict in a little bit. coming up, how does the so-called queen of christmas, mariah carey decorate for the holidays? she'll give us a live exclusive tour of her home coming up. >> then on trending, why bob

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good morning. a golf coach was charge$p withc counts of molestation. the alleged molestations happened between 200089 and last year. a man shot by sheriff'sçó deputs in the south bay hasok died. deputies responded tow3 calls inside an office near the corner of mcfarla.qñlp and saratoga in saratoga. it happened about noon yesterday. they saymy deputies opened fire bl3.2 object. the suspect was rushed to the hospital where he laterñi died. the deputies were treated for minor injuries and eventually released. let's switch gears and get a look at the forecast withñi meteorologist, christina loren. good morning to you.

good morning to you at home. look at thesec numbers. a welcome3w sightxd where as we áam9ñfrancisco, 39. napa, 30. we are running about 4çó degree milder than 24 hours ago. highs are going to be comfortable. we are going to jumpseñ of the 30s into the 50s. 59 degrees in san jose. 58 along theok peninsula. the east bay, 58 degrees. you want your xdlpseven-day forecast. hint, hint, the 70s are on the way to some cities. you can find it right here. heret( is mike inouye and your rush-hour drive. morec time acrossq the san mate bridge. the morning commute over to the peninsula. a couple of issues on the map. we haveq menlo újpark, sand hil road at saga lane. we have reports of a big rig that dropped whatever it was carrying all over the roadway. this is a problem. use woodside road as your alternate through the area. take surface streets. north 101 still slow comingt( o

of sunny vevale. we'll get you to the "today" show.

it's 8:00 on "today." and coming up, in the driver's seat. meet the woman making history as the first ceo of general motors. plus, which video got you moving and grooving? the votes are in. we'll reveal the winner of the orange room award for best digital dance-off. and all we want for christmas is a behind-the-scenes tour of mariah carey's holiday home. as our christmas wish is granted today, wednesday, december 11th, 2013. ♪ >> we came all the way from valdosta, georgia, just to freeze to death in the rockefeller plaza! whoo! >> i'm 10 today! >> happy birthday!

>> i'm from ohio! >> georgia peaches in the big apple! >> bakersfield, california! ♪ heartbreaker ♪ you got the best of me >> don't tell my teacher i'm here today. and welcome back to "today" on this wednesday morning. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie, al roker and mr. willie geist. although it is chilly here, we have to remember there are parts of the country people are suffering with really bad weather. >> that's right. some places up to 50 degrees below average, so it's going to be tough. >> chilly for these people. you're going, hey, it's not so warm for me right now. >> a lot of auditioning for "rudolph the red-nosed reindeer." >> you know who's nice and cozy right now? >> who? >> tamron hall because she is inside mariah carey's layer. t lair. what's coming up?

>> her lair. this is her pink room. she's been so kind to let us into her home as we celebrate the 12 days of christmas with mariah carey. she, according to her husband, is miss christmas. she's let us into this intimate room. her trees are beautiful. i can't wait for mariah to tell us the story behind these peonies. trust me, mariah carey might be the only person in the world right now with peonies this beautiful. we'll tell you why. she loves christmas. she loves family. she's have a very humble background, which we know, and she became a pop superstar on her very own. and of course we can't forget the song 20 years ago that she wrote with a little casio on her own, "all i want for christmas is you." and the minute you hear that song, you know it's official christmas. we're going to sit down with mariah, talk with her about her past, her present and, of course, the future which is with a headlining performance new year's eve. so it's officially christmas when you're hanging with mariah. >> all right. are you sure she's there?

we haven't seen her yet. >> you know what? hey, guys, i have not seen her, but i feel her presence. >> oh, okay. >> it's enormous. and savannah, shh, don't tell anyone, and i hope mariah's not listening because she might kick me out. i've been into the closet. >> holy grail. >> take pictures. tamr tamron, thank you. well, let's get a check of the top stories of the morning. natalie is at her post at the news desk. good morning again. >> good important morning to you once again. the body of nelson mandela is lying in state in the same building where he was sworn in two decades ago as south africa's first black president. family members and world leaders were first to pay their respects today followed by thousands of other admirers. mandela will be buried sunday. president obama returned to the white house this morning after his trip to johannesburg to speak at tuesday's memorial service. and new this morning, the white house has released some of the rare behind-the-scenes photos from president obama's trip to south africa including several taken on air force one.

and here you can see the president with former president george w. bush who also made the trip along with first ladies michelle obama and laura bush. there's also this photo of george bush showing off some of his artwork to former secretary of state hillary clinton. the president also spent time on the trip with former president bill clinton and even hammed it up a bit with front man and humanitarian bono. we have new details about six nevada family members rescued in good shape after two nights in subzero temperatures. the group including four children was stranded in the mountains after their jeep overturned. they were found tuesday when search teams traced their cell phone signal and then spotted footprints in the snow. the family kept warm by heating rocks in a campfire and then putting the rocks inside their car and huddling together. for the first time a woman has been chosen to head a major u.s. automaker. nbc's anne thompson shows us how mary barra might inspire others with her drive to succeed.

>> reporter: put away all the jokes about female drivers. mary barra, tapped to lead general motors, means business. >> a simple thing i say is no more crappy cars. >> reporter: he's a gm lifer. she started as an intern, graduating from the general motors institute, now kettering university, with a degree in electrical engineering. >> she combines tremendous skills and business and engineering with a down-to-earth, approachable nature. >> reporter: her climb up the corporate ladder included turns as assembly plant manager, head of human resources and most recently global product development. >> i've been given the opportunity to do a lot of things that really challenged and gave me the opportunity to develop my leadership style, my skills. >> reporter: barra will be gm's fifth ceo in five years. a tumultuous time that saw the automaker declare bankruptcy, get bailed out by the government, and return to profitability. but there are challenges ahead.

>> she understands the nuts and bolts of the business. and it all comes down to building the best cars and trucks that you can sell. she understands that that's the priority. that's the goal. >> reporter: born and raised in the detroit area, barra's appointment to gm's top job is now giving female students at her high school a different road map. >> she's coming from the same place i came from. so i can do it, too. >> reporter: inspiring a new generation of car guys who are women. for "today," anne thompson, nbc news, new york. a 6-year-old colorado boy has returned to school after his suspension for -- get this -- kissing a girl on the hand. hunter yelton's mother wants the incident removed from her son's record. she says this is the second time he was suspended for kissing the same girl and other disciplinary officials. the school says the primary goal is to get the boy to change his behavior. it is 8:06 right now. time for the weather and al.

"today's weather" is brought to you by dsw. it's where shoe lovers score those killer deals. >> a little brisk out here. not quite as cold in memphis, tennessee. your mom wanted to meet me. well, that's awfully nice. thank you so much. merry christmas. merry christmas. let's check it out, start things off. let's go to detroit, see what's going on there. no lake-effect snow, but it is a cloudy day. they'll see some snow showers, warming up to about 24 degrees. the rest of the day today, our pick city is buffalo, new york. shuffling off to buffalo, they'll be looking at some lake-effect snow hanging around. temperatures getting up into the mid-20s. afternoon temperatures, it is cold in the plains. look at these temperatures. single digits to below zero. 80s down in florida. in fact, these folks, where you guys from? >> bozeman, montana. >> it is one degree below zero right now in bozeman with a windchill of 12 below. are you glad you're here? >> glad we're here. >> this is a heat wave! we're glad you're here. all right. that's what's going on arnold

thank you, al. good wednesday morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. a little hazy here over san jose, but i'm happy to report we are going to see better air quality as we fwet into the end of the week. probably looking, though, at another spare the air day as we head to tomorrow, and we do have one as we get into this afternoon. temperatures are going to climb to the upper 50s. 59 in the east bay. getting a little more comfortable. the good news is that climb continues well into the weekend and beyond when the 70s return by monday. it's going to be nice around here next week. that's your latest weather. >> mr. roker, we're all starting to jump up and down out here. >> up next on trending, the sad truth about some of the most talked about stories you read online. >> and then a big today exclusive. mariah carey is going to reveal her remarkable way to celebrate christmas inside her home. >> getting comfortable in there. >> and then a new spin on classic holiday dishes.

but first, these messages. people don't have to think about where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪ ♪ i picked it out in a snap ♪ what made it genius ♪ was my camouflage wrap ♪ that's my kind of holiday

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♪ no presents beneath the tree? ♪ ♪ wait a minute, now i see ♪ my gifts are above me ♪ that's my kind of holiday we're back now at 8:13 with what is trending today. have you guys seen the latest viral video making the rounds? it happens at a wedding reception when a bride throws the bouquet, and apparently one woman seems so anxious to get it, she falls over into a garden, okay? >> oh! >> now, the question is, was that real, or was it staged? it looked like it could have been faked. >> well, apparently it was. actually, we looked at this whole issue today, and that's trending. how many of these viral videos are actually real? some people think the truth is the first thing to be

sacrificed. remember the twitter tale of a feud on thanksgiving? remember there was this back-and-forth. a child's letter to santa with an amazon.com link. that turned out to be false. who could forget this video? it was a eagle seeming to snatch up a child. happily for that child, that was false. >> jimmy kimmel did that fake video, too. >> this is a discussion we have a lot of times in the morning here. we see a piece of video overnight. we think, should we put it in the open? in the show? we sit there and say let's check, double check and triple check, and still sometimes sneak through. >> it's getting harder to figure out what's real and what's not on the internet. this is 100% real, at least so we think. gisele bundchen is used to getting a lot of attention. >> get yourself out of this one, natalie. >> a double entendre.

her latest picture very different. >> oh, my. >> pick it up. >> she posted it to instagram. it shows her breast-feeding 1-year-old daughter vivian while getting her hair, makeup and nails done. she wrote, what would i do without this beauty squad on three hours of sleep? with the #multitasking. >> she's being multitasked upon. >> most importantly, natalie is sure it's real. >> and spectacular. >> i didn't mean that when i said it. bob barker, come on down. yes, that music could mean just one thing. "the price is right," the game show's original host returned to celebrate his 90th birthday. the audience was thrilled to see him. that's "bark, bark, bark!" they're chanting. in the middle of their pet adoption week. he ended every show with the

line "have your pet spayed or neutered." he looked great. >> he really does. >> ageless. >> he helped raise an awful lot of awareness. >> he sure did. >> even when he stopped dyeing his hair. bravo. go all natural. >> he looks amazing. >> great guy. of course, we all know about the elf on the shelf. santa's little helper. obviously, the elf has some extracurricular activities. caught on camera doing more than just sitting around. here he is charming some ladies. you know, again, before he went back to the north pole. then allegedly breaking into a piggy bank. i don't know if these are real or not. >> okay. >> and tumbling down in a roll of toilet paper. >> just having some fun. >> and making snow angels in rice. >> cute. >> and then just before santa comes in like a wrecking ball, so did the elf. >> elf's a fun guy. >> now he's back. our elf is somewhere. our elf is somewhere. >> yeah, absolutely. >> does anyone know where he is? >> see if you can spot our elf

on the shelf. >> and that -- >> somewhere in there? >> where? >> i can't see. >> oh. there he is. he's got goggles on. or she. she. >> she. >> sunny. >> we love sunny around here. and that is what's trending today. ♪ i just want to "mariah's kind of christmas" is brought to you by target. what's your kind of holiday? >> well, we all know what is always trending during this christmas season, that song and mariah carey. and tamron has basically moved into mariah's house in new york city this morning. tamron, good morning again. can we say good morning mariah? >> hi, mariah. >> good morning! >> i wish i could move in. we are so happy that you opened your door. this room, guys, this is mariah's pink room. and we were just talking, it's so personal for you. >> it is. >> this is your family room. >> and yet nobody's ever really in here because it's really for things that are sort of archived

photographs and stuff that i've had and kept that actually my dad's mom, my grandmother saved all these pictures. my mother saved some pictures. there are personal items in here that are special to me. so the kids don't even know this room exists yet. maybe they don't know the room is here. >> they maybe don't know the room is here. this room is not for kids. it is definitely to be cherished. and family certainly transitions us to the holidays and christmas and 12 days of christmas with you. and it is so special. and i know that because you're a mom now -- >> i'm a mommy. >> the first christmas for dem babies. their first christmas. there you go. in their little winter ensembles. is skiing part of the family tradition? >> well, i mean, an adaptation. i can't say that it's, like, the carey family thing since forever. my dad, he's the first person that took me skiing. i'm not a skier, truly. i had a little accident.

i dislocated my shoulder this year. and i kind of downplayed it, but i'm still recovering. i'll be there with them on the little -- >> bunny slopes is what they call it? >> yeah, on the bunny slopes, but we won't doing the black diamond. >> i'm too afraid to ski. >> i like the jewelry store and i like going around places like that, yes. >> speaking of jewelry, this glamour, this house, it is absolutely surreal. you came from humble backgrounds. everything you have, you've worked hard for. and you earned. and there are pictures of you as a little kid. guys, i want to show this quickly. this is little mariah. >> me and santa. >> and you weren't crying, which most kids are crying. >> no. can you see my little diaper hanging out. that's not very cute. i don't know. >> what does that mean when you see that picture? >> well, he looked a little -- i mean, the santa i know, this must have been him on an off day. look at him. he's not very happy. look at him. just take a peeky. i mean, look. i can't hold it very well. i think my brother punched santa in the face when he was little. we've been through a lot

together, santa and i. >> yes, you have. >> i don't remember. but ro ro, little miss ro, our baby girl, she thinks that's her. >> oh, that's so sweet! >> that's the one we look the most we look the most alike. otherwise it's me and rock. that's my twin. >> when we think of mariah we think of a song 20 years ago which i can't believe is 20 years. >> my mom named me after they call the wind mariah. and i was like what is this song? >> and your mother is a singer. everyone raves about her beautiful voice. >> she's on my album we did a d duet together. >> i'm a cole on my father's side. natalie and i had this discussion. we talked about it oprah's legend's weekend. >> tell me the song all i want for christmas is you.

i heard or they told me, you wrote this song with a casio. i don't even know if they make them anymore. >> i don't know what it was. it was a little keyboard that i had in this room, upstate new york. it was more about i just said there was an idea from the label, the record label to do a christmas album and i said don't people like do that toward the end. not like around their first or second album? that's something new and interesting. and i was like but i do love christmas so much i think it would be a great project. we decorated the studio in july but the first song i wrote was all i want for christmas is you. i thought of everything i would have wanted as a child. singing has been my saving grace but christmas and singing even as difficult time as a kid. everybody did the best they could, those moments got me through. so i wanted to make the most festive song that would always make people happy. >> well, here's the deal.

mariah is injured. so we're going to navigate something here. >> thank you for tolerating my ensemble with the robe. >> it's your house. >> i would have provided you with one as well. >> we don't want to be in the tabloids. we're going to show this video of mariah's tree while we make the diva move to the tree. take the video. we're moving and we don't have time for wardrobe malfunctions. >> what's going on. >> tell me a little bit about your tree here. i'm going to help you up. >> i'm good. >> so this is one of mariah's trees as she puts on her -- >> my slippers. >> that should be on everyone's christmas list. >> they should be if they're still making them. >> okay. tell me about the tree here. >> i think you captured some pictures during the break

earlier where i'm sorry. and this is live flowers you can smell them. >> they are beautiful. >> and some beautiful -- i have to thank them for sending beautiful flowers. they didn't send these for free. and they did them because it matches the room. the world famous decorator did this place. this is the only piece i have left for my house in bedford. >> do you let rock and roll get in? >> we do that in aspen. this is the first year they understand christmas in a way. they understand santa claus and all of that and loved watching the christmas tree lighting the other day. we'll have a great time. nick loves to dress up and wake us up at 6:00 a.m. banging pots and pans. it's not fun. i'm begging him to not do that this year. >> thank you so much for letting us in your home. >> thank you for coming. >> you invited me to breakfast but i'm going to be the rude

guest, savannah, wait for it, wait for it, mariah for christmas, all i would want -- i'm not proposing to you. >> i'm just waiting. >> how close can i get to the closet before the end of the show? >> that's a different show. >> can i show one mariah shoe. >> we can show it again. >> no, you can see another shoe. do you want to go grab a shoe? someone grab me a shoe please. >> coming up, mariah is going to let me show something from the closet. >> we're showing something from the closet. an appropriate ensemble. it won't be too much for the morning. >> she was trying to put them on earlier from upstairs. >> what is in the coffee. >> good clean fun it's christmas. >> ladies, we'll have whatever you're having. >> tamron just has way too much fun over there. >> meanwhile the guys are saying merry christmas to us. >> willie wears that robe every

morning in the orange room. >> coming up, a classic holiday with the barefoot contessa touch. after your local news.

>> i'm laura garcia cannon. the hearing into the oío=ñasian aircraft is underway. in washington d.c. this morning this is a live look. they're taking a quick break, and it's a marathon session. you have to cram two days of hearings into one because of a snowstorm that hit the area yesterday. one thing that's already come out of the hearing, the pilot q=rs he was stressed about trying to land because the runway's automatic warning systems were out of service. if you would like to watch them, we're streaming the hearing live at nbcbayarea.com. i'm hearing there's a traffic mess in the south bay. let's go to mike. >> it's for the northbound commute. the southbound side. that's clear. let's look at this live picture. northbound 101 at 680, things

have jammed up, and look at the map. we have red all the way up from tully in towards mountain view. we also have a slow drive for 280, 85, and that was just starting to show orange, which is better flow of traffic, but this backup on 101 had rippled back on to 227 where we had a crash at lawrence making it even worse slow coming out and slow off of the 808 interchange all the way over to 101. this is all triggered by an earlier crash at the embarcadero. has had a ripple effect, laura. back to you. >> thank you very much. another local news update in half hour. see you then. [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world

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dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt. ♪ dannon. we are back at 8:30 on this wednesday morning. it's the 11th of december, 2013. with two weeks away we hope you have done your shopping and she is doing a great task for us and selecting the toys that folks have brought for our toy drive still going strong. if you're in the area i hope you come by and drop off the toys. >> and if you're not in the area go to today.com and see how you

can contribute. >> should we go back to mariah's house because we can. i think tamron has something to show us. mariah, what have you got? >> savannah, natalie, i've got the goods, a pair of shoes. >> these are my favs. >> unworn. >> unworn. >> and the dress you wore when you performed at rockefeller center. >> yeah. >> my new bff mariah carey gave these to me for christmas. >> what am i doing now. >> i didn't go like this. >> well, it's a little early for mariah to sing so i said -- >> i thought they were playing -- ♪ ♪ all i want for christmas ♪ is you >> tamron don't do that ♪ ♪ all i want for christmas is --

>> you can never go wrong when miss mariah is in the house. >> mariah, thank you very much. tamron, happy holidays as well. >> we want to say hello. they're from the hit usa show psych. nice to see you. >> thank you. >> for those that don't know you're doing this long awaited musical. this is not a musical show on a normal night, correct. >> no. >> so tell us about the musical? why did you guy tries to do it? >> we wanted to do it since the very beginning. it took a long time to write all the songs and find our courage. thank you for granting our request to sing after mariah carey. >> can we hear a little something? >> yeah, we prepared 1-half of one bar. [ singing ]

♪ but i'd come clean if i only could ♪ >> it's like psych visits les mis. it's fantastic. that's great. >> exactly. >> this happens when? >> sunday night, usa network. >> i went to your dressing room and stole all of your hello kitty. >> there's more where that came from. thank you very much. good luck. >> merry christmas. >> all the best. >> mr. >> good morning to you. temperatures are stillpxw prett cold. i'm happy to report we're running about three to eight degrees milder than this time yesterday. we're headed to the upper 50s. 59 on the way to the south bay. 58 in the eastñ bay. the north bay will still hit the upper 50s. even with a nice cold start. we did fall into the 20s, but that was only the north bay this

morning. as we get into the next couple of days, changes are headed our way. we will see improving air quality, and we'll have to wait for it until we get into friday and saturday. looking at unhealthy levels offal pollution until then. and weou have a great day.$

back now with our second orange room award. we handed out our first ever award on tuesday for most memorable moment of the year. now it's time to name the best digital dance off of 2013. we narrowed the field down to two. we eliminated prancercize and the harlem shake. our first one is the usher challenging a kid to a dance battle at a detroit piston's game [ music playing ]

>> and the other finalist, the foxy dance moves, the hit song that earned over 274 million hits on youtube. what does the fox say ♪ what does the fox say >> it's a difficult decision. a tough competition. ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the orange room award for best digital dance off is -- mr. roker, the envelope please. here it comes. >> usher and kid dance off. antone alexander. and there they go. [ music playing ]

[ music playing ] >> yeah. you guys are incredible. congratulations. let me give you the trophy here. congrats. come on in. come on in. we have the one trophy because i want to ask between the two of you. we saw the dance off, we saw the video. who is the better of the two dancers? >> well, personally the video was great and everything but i'd like to give it to antoine. >> but i think he should have it. >> no, there's a reason. i want you to hold it for a

reason. >> take it. >> take it. >> because you being 11 years old, your family did real good with you. you're an inspiration to me and all kids your age as well as the adults. i admire you. so you make the city of flint and your hometown and detroit look good. people around the world admire you. i know i do. so thank you. >> what a beautiful gesture. >> he deserves it. >> thank you. >> that's incredible. they're disappointed. they're not taking this very well. >> i'm sorry. >> but there's not much you can do about this guys. >> that's right, willie. >> he likes it. he's singing your song. see, it's catchy. >> right now we do have a world exclusive. guys, good morning. it's good to see you again. >> thank you. >> we're here for the prize. >> are you disappointed that you

didn't get orangey this year. >> maybe someone would cheat or something? you could probably buy off willie. >> yeah. >> do you know how much it costs? >> no. i don't. in fact, these guys came by it honestly. you were very, very close i have to say. i should mention by the way, you two announced that you are the top trending video of 2013. >> we wanted this one. >> everybody does. what does the fox say is now a children's book. that's brilliant. >> it actually was before we posted the video on youtube. >> so the book came before the video. >> yeah, because of the whole thing with this video we wanted to be like a project we figured it would be extremely fun to have a really well made or well produced merchandise or video that was unsuccessful. so we started the whole project

and then -- >> it's a nice book, though. >> it's a really nice book. >> it's essentially the song lyrics with great illustrations. kids will love it. >> yeah, hopefully. >> so how's it going? what's been the most exciting or strange part of this whole phenomenon? >> there are many moments to pick from but we have been to like -- you know asia is always kind of fun they say and it was for us as well. and the "today" show. >> sudden he we got an award in asia. >> what was the award. >> which we didn't plan on. >> we're doing a spoof on the pop culture but some places they're actually starting to treat us as if we were pop stars which is really strange. they made us -- >> yeah, my favorite part of the trip was when the guy who was our sort of -- he was responsible for our wellbeing and he went over to my brother and he was like please smell the cars. >> smell the cars?

>> because he complained a little bit. >> i just complained once because it was a really horrible smell. like a dead dog. like a rat. and i said, you know, do you think could we have like a car with less of a dead dog smell? and from that point on and can you please smell all the cars. >> yeah. bowing like this. >> does bart have that diva part of him? >> i'm getting there. >> he has this extra thing. >> i want hot chocolate and he said i'm going to have a -- and then he just had to bring up the paper and pen -- >> a lot of specifications. >> yeah. >> still working on the cleavage stuff. >> well, we love to have you here. thank you for coming by. >> thank you for having us. >> keep us posted on all your projects.

we want to remind everybody about the book. what does the fox say? we're still asking. up next, we'll head to the kitchen, the barefoot contessa shows us ♪ pose! yeah! ♪ flash! yeah!

♪ pose! yeah! ♪ flash! yeah!

♪ get the family to strike a pose, ♪ ♪ and show off your brand new clothes! ♪ ♪ that's my kind of holiday. we're back with today's holiday kitchen. ina garten is serving up two classics with a holiday twist perfect. they're from her book cook barefoot contessa, full proof rescues you can trust. happy holidays. always good to have you here. foolproof, the way you define it is these are satisfying dishes and in many cases you can make an advance. >> and you can buy every ingredient and make a simple meal. it's great. >> you're going to make a

healthier version of fried chicken. it's my all time favorite comfort food. >> what are we doing different? >> i have chicken to salt and pepper really simply like that and then i make a crumb crust. >> why do you like it? >> it's great. it's japanese bread flakes and it gives a nice krispy crust. so we need lots of flavor. >> garlic. >> garlic, thyme, salt and pepper right in there. i'm going to puree it. >> okay. >> and then the panko crumbs and lots of flavor. >> help me out. >> you're doing great. you don't need help at all. a little olive oil and butter. >> melted butter. >> and lemon zest. that gives it a lot of flavor. >> but it's a dry consistency for the most part. >> it's dry like this. that's the first one. >> what i have done is mixed

mustard and white wine. >> a lot of time at this stage you do an egg dip. this gives it much more flavor. dip it in and dip it in the crumbs and put it on a baking sheet. that's really easy. >> so it's the no fried fried chicken. how long would that cook? >> 350 degrees for 40 minutes. give it a little more heat for 10 minutes and it's crisp on the outside and that lemon and garlic and thyme is great. >> i'm going to try that for a second. you like to serve this for the holidays in a great gatherring and version of bread pudding. >> i like to make a bread pudding. >> do you switch it out on thanksgiving? >> always. i find stuffing is too moist and you to overcook the turkey. this one i start out with the custard which is egg yolks, cream and chicken stock and then i have bread crumbs that really absorb the flavors and i add

cheese. that makes everything better. >> exactly. >> and then what i do is i cook some panko. >> panchetta. >> right. >> if that's panko then what is this over here? >> and leeks and mushrooms. >> i like leeks. i think they're undervalued. >> i agree. it's a softer onion flavor. that's why the french use them a lot. >> mushrooms. >> that's a lot of mushrooms. >> it is but it cooks down. it's like spinach. >> after sauteing that how long until it looks like this? >> 10 or 15 minutes and it looks like this and then what you do is you put everything together in this big bowl. just mix it together and i'll pour all of this right into it. doesn't that smell great. >> yes. it does. >> it has leeks, mushrooms, and

pan chr panchetta. >> and you're double dipping. more cheese on top. >> i do too. i love that look. >> i know. and then you pour it into a big dish and it cooks at the same temperature as the chicken so you can put them both in the same. >> because it's bread pudding are we serving this at room temperature? >> it can be warm but hot is period better. >> i'm going to get invaded in a minute. i'm going to get my taste in before anyone else. >> it's crisp on the top. is that good? it's not horrible? >> that is ridiculously good. it's always good to have you here. by the way, you can check out more recipes on today.com. up next, olympic hopeful ashley wagner performs on the famed rockefeller center rink. but first on a wednesday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

>> announcer: today's countdown to sochi is brought to you by p and g. proud sponsor of moms. >> back to our countdown to sochi. the competition beginning in 57 days. it's drawing near. here on the rink to get us into the olympic spirit is ashley wagner, a two time women's figure skating national champion and olympic hopeful. good morning to you. >> i'm great. how are you? >> great. how is the training going?

>> it's going amazing. >> not to bring up past history but last time in vancouver you were just one spot from making the team. are you feeling confident about your chances now? >> four years down the road, i'm more prepared than i have ever been. >> this is a huge moment for you. you have been training all your life for this. what will it mean for you to be there to represent the united states? >> i'm an army brat so i watched my dad in the military growing up. this would be an awesome way to represen my country and to be in sochi would be incredible for me. >> a lot of pressure for the u.s. women to medal this time around as well. what do you think are our hopes and chances for that? >> we have an incredible u.s. ladies team and we're sending the best of the best. the u.s. needs a medal and we are the women to do it. >> all right. well, good luck to you as you get ready. i'll take your jacket for you. i know you're going to be skating to the young and beautiful which is something you seem to know a lot about. >> yes. >> all right. just rip it off. this is the awkward moment.

go for it ashley. [ music playing ]

[ music playing ]

beautiful performance. you can catch all of the action in sochi beginning february 6th here on nbc. >> so we have ylvis here. we have the dance off guys here -- >> dance off winners. >> the winners that's right. >> guys. >> he asked me where the restroom was and i was going to show him and i said let me hold the trophy for you and he said get away. >> i like that it lights up.

>> it's pretty neat. >> whoa. >> what does the hospital say? >> that was a beautiful gesture too the way you gave that to him. very well done. >> i felt it. his parents did such a good job. they should get credit. it belongs at his house. they have a wonderful young man. off camera i got to talk to him. he's humble and everything i admire about him. >> good for you. >> so happy to have a a good wednesday morning to you. i'm laura garcia cannon. two sisters are missing from richmond. 9-year-old police say there is a chance the girls could be in san francisco. want to get a look at the forecast right now. it's a cold start to our day. things warming up, christina. >> little by little we are

seeing that gradual warmup we promised you. this is san francisco. you can see kind of a murky sky overhead. temperatures are just about everywhere. in the south bay right now headed to the upper 50s later on today. hope you have a great day. ... ... plt ....

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is today's take with al roker, natalie morales, and willie geist. live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to today on this wednesday morning, december 11th, 2013. two weeks from today is christmas da >> oh my goodness. >> two weeks. >> so much to do. so many things. >> you haven't done your shopping clearly. >> finishing it up. >> really? >> yeah. >> how about you. all done? getting there? >> yeah. >> all finished and wrapped beneath the tree. >> al, are you done? >> no,i'm working on it. >> i'm pretty much. the family is done. >> so many people this morning talking about the mandela memorial service.

yesterday we talked about mandela himself and his life and legacy and now the side stories are coming out including the selfie, president obama. >> seen around the world. >> yes, indeed with david cameron and the prime minister of denmark. >> prime minister of denmark. >> flirting with danger. >> so a couple of things. people are saying is it appropriate to take a selfie at the memorial service. >> which was very celebratory. >> it was. >> and the other thing people are look at is the first lady of the united states and her reaction to the selfie to which without all the chatter i would have said she is just not paying attention. >> i think she is watching the service. >> she's not mad. she's just not paying attention to what is happening. >> but the headlines, everybody looks at it differently when you're writing these papers. the photographer who captured the selfie had this to say. i later read on social media that michelle obama seemed to be

rather peeved but photos can lie folks. in reality just a few seconds earlier the first lady was herself joking with those around her. her stern look was how many of us have photos taken of us. >> of course. >> where we have that face. >> okay. >> with all due respect -- >> when they take the pictures they have that burst which capture ises 100 photos in three or four seconds. so in between expressions you can find everything from rap sure to stern anger. again, the second time. let's not go back. >> it's been used many times. >> i understand. it's a morning show. >> i know people want to make stuff out of everything nowadays. >> they do. come on. i think she's fine with that. >> meanwhile, this is a story

that is sort of developing this morning. this is incredible. the sign language interpreter used as tuesday's memorial service for nelson mandela on the stage a foot away from the president of the united states, by the way and all the world leaders who were up there. it is turned out it is being called a fake by the deaf federation of south africa. he said nothing he is doing is sign language. he is repeating the same gestures over and over. who is the guy and how did he get there? >> guys, let's not do that. >> wrong. >> that is horrific. we heard lester yesterday talking about how they were able to pull off this memorial service with just a few days of planning, security and all of that. but even lester said yesterday

on air that there were dozens of people that seemed to get through without going through security checks. that person front and center on stage. you think in an official capacity, nobody screened them? nobody checks them out. >> the government says they're looking into it and they will have a statement explaining who he is. we hope he's not a random guy who wandered on the stage. my gosh. he could be an official. >> this is like the great imposter. that's crazy. >> it's very sad. >> but president obama is this close to the guy. >> i know. i know. you can't make that stuff up. yes, he did apparently. >> holy cow. this is incredible. did you hear about this? the miracle before christmas. a couple and four children that range in age from 3 to 10, two kids, a niece and a nephew headed out sunday in nevada for a trip to play in the snow. the jeep they were traveling in,

swe swerved off the road, flipped over an embankment. sought shelter inside the overturned jeep and built fires to stay warm in subzero temperatures. negative 6 degree weather. they heated rocks. >> the key to survival was heating the rocks, putting them in the gee and huddling together. i think i learned something. what would you do in a situation? i have no idea. lighting a fire is something we would think to do. but that's pretty remarkable. >> radiant heat. >> thank goodness they're all going to be okay. they're expected to be released later today. just dehydration. that's it. >> the national guard helicopters went out and saw foot prints. they tracked them down. >> a miracle before christmas. >> it is. >> we just announced earlier "time" magazine's person of the year and it is pope francis. he beat out edward snowden,

edith windsor, bashar assad, and senator ted cruz. nancy gibbs says pope benedict is determined to pull the papacy out of the palace and into the streets. excuse me, pope francis. and it means so much more to people. >> clearly the people's pope. >> yeah. >> i think he has changed the face of the catholic church and changed the discourse in just a couple of months since he was elected to take over the papacy. >> the healing mission of the church. so much about the theological work. and he has really become a role model. >> our "today" viewers, over 90% picked the pope to be on the cover of "time" magazine. there was talk about snowden possibly. yeah. >> when he was revealed, he was the second choice.

that was a one-two finish. the pope obviously has gone places no other pope and a lot of catholics don't go, talking about homosexuality saying, quote, who am i to judge. i to ? that's not something we heard from a pope before. >> vatican put out a statement the holy father is not looking to become famous to to receive honors but if the choice of person of the year helps spread the message of thes go sell, a message of god's love for everyone, he'll be happy about that. >> top 20 videos of the year, youtube tracks and celebrates the top trending of the year. coming in at number 2 with over 95 million hits, the harlem shake performed by the norwegian army. [ music playing ]

>> that's one of my favorite versions of the harlem shake. this wasn't the first harlem shake video posted but it was the most viewed. >> second only to our harlem shake video. >> our harlem shake. i don't think it was viewed that much. >> or at all. [ music playing ] >> why did i have the motorcycle helmet on again? >> because they wear a helmet or mask or a helmet. >> that was valentine's day of course. >> yes it was. >> kind of a moon walking cupid there. >> oh, yeah. shake it. >> and the number one video of the year. over 217 million hits, ylvis what does the fox say. one more time.

♪ there's a sound that no one knows ♪ ♪ what does the fox say >> there they are. they were here in the studio a few minutes ago. >> you just handed out the first ever orangey award for best dance video. >> digital dance off. it was the usher against the young man at the detroit piston's game. he got a run for his money from that young man and they were voted today.com's digital dance off of the year. >> what a great kid he is. >> i love it. >> he is so sweet. >> we had the trophy and i gave it to shannon on the air and handed it to antoine and said you deserve this. >> we have the one trophy because i want to ask between the two of you, now that we have seen the dance off and the video -- >> so you set it up for there to

be that moment in a sense. >> who gets the trophy. >> it could have gotten ugly. >> it could have. >> don't touch. great kid. great kid. surprise snowfall delighting some young people. did you see this? >> yes it was really nice. this is the children's health care of atlanta, 57 degrees, sunny. but the folks who do the snow effects for the disney ice shows came in and did this for these kids. >> so cool. [ music playing ] >> that's really special. >> three different hospitals got snow in atlanta. >> we love that. >> beautiful story. >> magical moment there. all right mr. roker. are we talking some snow around here? not yet?

>> well, this weekend we could be looking at another winter not so wonderland but our friends in upstate new york seeing a lot of snow. lake effect snow. i mean, this thing really getting itself together. we're looking at very cold air coming across the warmer waters of the lake and it creates basically these streamers that get set up and just dump a lot of snow. buffalo new york right now with light snow. they're going to be seeing snowfalls later this morning. and, in fact, look at the snowfall we're talking about, especially now between eerie and buffalo. about a foot, foot and a half. but the big area -- the big winter is going to be from syracuse north to watertown. tughill plateau, the sweet spot up to three feet of snow. and we've got the cold. we're looking at wind chill advisories. wind chill watches. these are current temperatures. feels like it's 21 below in minneapolis right now. chicago at 7. for today you'll feel like 3

below in chicago. 22 below in minneapolis and tomorrow morning, look at this, marquette michigan you'll feel like 24 below. 13 below in temperatures are milder out there by about five degrees from 24 hours ago. i want to show you the sky over san francisco. kind of murky here. here's another spare the air day. we're going to see the haze today and tomorrow, and even with wind out there. still seeing a thick layer of haze over most of the bay area. 57 degrees in los altos. san francisco looking comfortable. 58 in free metropolitan, and 58 on the way to pleasanton. we do have a spare the air day today and tomorrow. better air quality on friday. and that's your latest weather. >> al, thanks. coming up next, safety tips to think about while you're out shopping over the next couple of weeks. you wouldn't believe how easy it is to steal your personal ♪ [ male announcer ] even well-planned holidays

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only two weeks left until christmas the malls are going to get more packed. >> there are thieves on the hunt for easy targets. >> they hit the stores and check out lines to point out common mistakes we all make. >> everybody on this line has a sheet of paper with their name their address, their social security number and their e-mail account. information is all out and you're holding it. we want you to know we're keeping you safe. your name, your address, your e-mail. we can see that. >> you're both very fix sated on this commuter and your pockets were sticking out and i came up behind you and brushed up against you and almost as if i was going to put my hand in your back pocket.

it's good you don't keep anything there. >> do you normally put your money in that back pocket? >> sometimes i switch it around. sometimes when goi down the street i'll take it out of this pocket and put it on the inside. >> actually, that's the best place to have it is on the inside because then if somebody wants to take it from you they have to unzip you and do that. >> she just processed payment. i saw her enter her pin number. the one thing that is good with her, you see the way she is holding her id and credit card, she has it folded in so you can't see her credit card number or name or address which is smart. >> when you're talking to your vehicle be vigilant, especially at night. have your keys in your hand prepared prior to getting in your car. >> in the center between the passenger and drivers seat there is a bag. it looks like a tory burch purse and you can see kind of the stuff in there.

let's see here. you have your passport. >> yeah, my passport. >> something like a passport or your driver's license you should always know where they are. you should never leave them unattended because if somebody gets ahold of that they could cause serious fraud and damage to your identity and to your credit. >> here now with more tips on how to protect yourself is regina lewis and connectictribu msnbc. good morning. we're distracted with the holiday season and making sure we get our gifts for everybody. we become easy targets. >> there's a term for it. it's called distraction theft. teams of people trying to distract you were already there. were already distracted. >> what about you're in the mall. you have a bunch of bags and your juggling bags. >> one, you can ask a store, can you hold these until i'm finished shopping because as we just saw in the piece, bringing them to your car might not be a smart move. awe though theft and parking

lots go up this time of year. this is counter to the psychology of shopping. the shopping bags with the logos. nike, apple, juicy makes bigger targets. bring something nondescript to put them in. you become less of a target. >> a lot of people doing the shopping online and not even going to the malls. what are things we should think about online. >> for the most part, online shopping tremendously secure. this year we're seeing record numbers of online shopping is fake order confirmations. they go a little something like this. in order to ship your recently purchased item in time for the holidays and you think have been shopping online, i do want it to get there, we need to confirm a few things. >> including your credit cards. >> exactly. right. in technology terms that's responding to something that was pushed to you. your better bet is to say i'll go to gap.com and amazon.com and take care of it there. much harder to forge. >> great advice. thank you so much. >> okay, sure. >> good to see you.

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and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber. taking a look at the headlines this morning, it could be two years before the u.s. faces the threat of another government shutdown. house and senate leaders agreed on a frame work for a new budget last night. the deal restores $63 billion in sequester spending cuts helping programs like defense, education and medical research.

millions of people would rather pay up than sign up for health insurance. nearly 40% of americans say they would prefer to pay a penalty than spend their money on insurance premiums. that's according to insurance quotes.com. those that don't will have to pay a fine. >> the estimated jackpot for friday night's mega millions lotly will be at least $400 million. that would mean a pay out of 216 million. although nobody picked all six numbers in last night's drawing five tickets did come this close. they matched every number except the mega ball which is good for a cool $1 million. >> and take a look at this incredible finish to a high school baseball game last night in cameron county pennsylvania with the team down by two points, he heaved the ball, a 70 foot buzzer beater and it goes in. the shot gave his red raiders a one point victory. dylan clingham, the man. back to you guys.

>> 70 feet. he has range on him. not bad. coming up, thinking about getting your kid a tablet or video game for christ [ female announcer ] it's a mountain grown morning with folgers lively colombian. it's deliciously dark, just before dawn. it's welcoming the sunrise with a taste of vanilla biscotti. with folgers gourmet selections, you can enjoy a variety of roasts and flavors from one perfectly brewed k-cup or a freshly brewed carafe. ♪ turn any day gourmet with folgers gourmet selections. ♪ bill: boy, oh, boy.s penguin! gourmet selections. ja: yay! now what do you think he's got in that gift box, bill? bill: hopefully a present for my wife! jane: oh, no... bill: yea... catch the great ritz holiday parade across the web, for deals, recipes, and festive fun. it all starts at ritzparade.com. waiting for your wrinkle cream to work? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula.

to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®. good morning. 9:26. the contra costa health department has issued a air advisory because of a fire in concorde. this is what it looked like just moments after the flames erupted at the phone company in the buchanan airport. crews now tell us they have the fire :contained. 55,000 square foot building. the owner says part of the roof collapsed. the cause unknown right now. because of smoke from the fire, people with preexisting respiratory conditions are 6j the wrar. the you are looking live in wusht washington at the marathon session cramming two days worth of hearings into one after yesterday's hearing was canceled because of a snowstorm. what's interesting already, the pilot told investigators he was

stressed out about trying to land because the runway's automatic warning systems were out of service. if you would like to watch it, it's streaming like on nbc bay area.com. we'll have a look at weather and traffic after this.

welcome back. the temperatures not as cold as yesterday. running about three to five degrees warmther. looking good. 39 degrees right now. it is a little bit hazy out there. happy to report, though, spare o tomorrow between better air quality in the forecast for friday and saturday. that's the good news. our temperatures are going to climb out of the 30s and 40s into the 50s before the day is done. a warming trend that starts today and kicks into high gear as we fwet into this upcoming weekend. normal down to about 62 degrees. we are going to bypass that normal average as we fwet into sunday and monday. 68 degrees on sunday, and a treat for you on monday. 70 degrees, of course, to come back to work. >> that's okay. at least i know what it's like outside.

>> look, i can look outside as well. a slower drive from 101 through palo alto. down 280. 92 down the woodside road, and it is still jammed and slow to sand hill. told you about the earlier big rig that dropped something off the back of his trailer. it turns out it's a big concrete weight. in the roadway they still have to clear that and clean it, and that is not a good off ramp. woodside, everybodying is heading back into the area. south bay starting to look a lot more smooth hoor, but slow south 880 towards fremont. earlier backup on 237 is what caused it. back to you. >> all right, mike. another local news update for you in half hour.

welcome back to "today" on this wednesday morning, december 11th, 2013. i'm willie geist with al and natalie. before we go further, we want to clean something up. we did something early at the top of the show. we were talking about the sign language interpreter at the event. we did a gag that wasn't funny. it was offensive and we apologize. >> we were making fun of the fake interpreter not of the deaf and we offended a lot of you. we apologize. it was an ill timed joke. >> we regret it and we apologize sincerely. some other news to talk about this morning. >> how often do you guys check your linked in profiles?

>> i never do. i don't have one. >> that's why i put that out there and i want people to stop asking me to join them on linked in. i already know you. i will call you. leave me alone. >> i'm not on linked in. why do i get e-mails asking me to join it. >> it's a professional networking site. >> it takes over your contact book and sends these annoying e-mails. >> the reason we bring it up is linked in compiled a list of the most overused words and phrases. >> linked in is overused. >> there you go. but the top five most commonly used words, patient, effective, creative, strategic and number one being responsible. >> and another one, really annoying. oh, i'm sorry. that's two. >> yeah, apparently not.

>> i have two words for you linked in. >> hey, if you're in the job market it's highly effective. >> you saw midnight run you know the joke. >> it's a great networking site but it can be annoying when people solicit you. >> how about a check of the weather? >> quickly showing you what's going on. things fairly quite out west. we have a few clouds. no big problems. a little on the breezy side. you see the traffic cam bouncing up and down but chilly too. a high of only 51 degrees. rest of the country today, we have lake effect snow setting up. windy conditions around the great lakes. plenty of sunshine out west. only 67 in l.a. today. tomorrow going to be fridged. more lake effect snow from western pennsylvania into western new york. sunny and mild through the south. down in florida spectacular. mid 80s, 9:32. i've got great pictures from san

francisco to show as well this morning. al, we love the shout-outs. 45 in the city. you can see the golden gate bridge. a little hazy out there. south bay, 39 degrees right now in san ó-jose. yeah, you can definitely see that haze all across oakland this morning, so make sure you're aware of that. it is a spare the air day. our temperatures are going to climb to the upper 50s, but i do want to remind people spare the air today, probably tomorrow the case as well, and then by friday @(t&háhp &hc& quality headed our way. and that's your latest weather. >> well, it's been a rough week of weather for much of the country and some of your cars are probably buried under a pile of snow and ice right now. >> we'll make it easier for you with tips from our today contributor. >> thank you very much. >> let's start off shovels. this is your basic tool. >> i have a little arsenal here. everyone is familiar with the traditional. your straight shaft. this one is your ergonomic shaft. this is our ice chopper.

>> this looks like something from game of throwns. >> this could be a weapon. definitely dangerous. don't let the kids swing it and. the idea is people going which shovel should i get? how many do i need? it depends on what part of the country you're in. that straight shaft, the traditional shaft is great for light snow. you're clearing the walk and wake up in the morning and it just snowed, get rid of that. if you're going to be lifting heavy snow you're going to be doing the walk and if you're doing the drive way you want ergonomics. it's going to make it so you're not so sore and crushed after it. >> ice chopper. >> what happens with the water it freezes and melts. they do have metal edges but you want to get in there and smash up all the ice and then shovel it out of the way. >> that's cool. >> this thing is cool. this has a telescope so you get the icicles hanging off the roof and gutter. knock them down because they can cause damage to your house. >> right. >> the thing is its very

dangerous. people don't realize how heavy the ice is. a lot of people get crushed, killed, hurt every year. you want to be in front of the house looking at the ice so it doesn't come down on you. >> and you say a little tip, use a little cooking spray? >> yeah. use a little cooking spray or wax. that way it doesn't cake up on the shovel. >> right on? >> yes, spray it right on and shovel. you don't have to worry about the snow. you're making your job harder. >> cool. >> next, getting a little traction and melting. >> exactly. so the idea is to get rid of the ice. you don't want anyone slipping and falling. this is great stuff. make sure you have a pet friendly, environmentally friendly deicer so it's not hurting anything, the kids or the dog gets it it's not poisonous. >> sand? >> sand or kitty litter that will give you traction. throw that out there. last thing you want is slipsor falls. >> a lot of folks keep it in

their car. >> great. so if you get stuck you can throw it out and then you really want to have a good scraper. >> this is need. >> look at that. >> no longer do you need the days of going out there and freezing your fingers and hands scraping it off. >> brilliant. >> the nice thing about having this pole right here, you can scrape it off and don't have to lay across the hood to get the snow off. >> if you don't have thermal windows, you can still protect yourself. >> if you have an old house and don't have storm windows, these are great. double sided tape you put up and put the plastic on. you go over it with a hair dryer. it's tight and sealed. you don't get any drafts. >> that's money going out your door. >> you want one of these door snakes. they keep the drafts from coming in under the door and a little foam along the door frame.

that way there's no air coming in. >> thank you. if anyone needs a rescue hit me up at george at nbc.com. >> do you know what your kids are watching? >> do you know what your kids are watching? how to this holiday we're and putting down phones. we're raising our glasses and lifting our spirits. here, the hottest gift is a fresh baked breadstick. heartwarming new recipes are coming right out of the oven and we're touring the classics of italy without leaving the table. at olive garden, the best holiday gift is being together. so join us! cause we're all family here. get together for unlimited soup, salad & breadsticks lunch just $6.99. [ bell rings ] [ man ] take five! you really seem to be dragging your a-- [ donkey brays, snorts ] mid morning slump. that's why i started drinking this new lipton natural energy tea. it naturally has more caffeine and theanine. mmmm... i feel better already. [ female announcer ] new lipton natural energy tea. colgate optic white dual action

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meals are simply better with a dollop of daisy. from the big screen to small screens near and far twizzlerize your entertainment every day with twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. we rented this resort, hid smelly objects all over each villa and plugged in febreze. then real people were asked to stay for a long weekend. would they smell anything? the room itself was like [sniffs] ahhh. feels like someone has pumped fresh oxygen into the room. [ male announcer ] on the last day we revealed everything. [ both ] oouugghhh. we were sitting right on it. febreze is stunningly effective. [ laughing ] [ male announcer ] pluggable febreze eliminates odors and keeps your home continuously fresh for up to 30 days, so you can breathe happy. >> if you're thinking about a smartphone or tablet for christmas you may want to think about how to limit their screen time.

>> it's also what they're watching as well. mario armstrong is a digital life style expert and today contributor. good morning guys. >> good morning. >> two third of children report that their families had no rules when it comes to their digital devices. is that shocking to you? >> absolutely ridiculous to me. it doesn't surprise me, though, because this is happening so quick and our generation and those that are parents now didn't grow one the technology that's in front of their kids so it's a hard understanding of how to parent it but parents are being a little lazy here with taking that more seriously. >> and we're modeling that behavior. >> i recommend that all families come up with a media use plan. you all want to sit down together as a family and come up with a list of rules that you can all agree on. they can be things like what's going to happen to the devices at night. they'll be in a separate location. you'll have electronic free zones and you'll have limits on screen time. >> so mario, the average 8 to 10-year-old, this is incredible

statistics spends nearly 8 hours a day using media. we hear about using it for educational purposes. i have young children. that's true. they use it to do homework and other things. how do you focus on the stuff you want out of a digital device and not the stuff you don't want. >> this is a great question. a lot of people are talk about how much screen time are our kids using. we need to define is that educational screen time or limitless screen time. i don't think it's a bad thing if my kid wants to use their tablet for education. but i think parents should be more savvy about how to use these devices. for example, the amazon kindle fire, on this device you can share this with multiple kids. they can have settings for different parental controls and a lot of parents don't dig into how they can block out the inappropriate content so they can make sure they are focussing on educational things and not just recreational. >> it's about monitoring the

media. >> they're going to be exposed to it. >> but start young and role model good behavior in your house so they see you put down your phone when you come in the door to talk and be present for your kids and you have a limit on what you're doing. when you learn about the games they want to play they're more willing to be open and talk to you about it. indiana sta say why don't you clear those three levels and come to the table. >> the one that kills me is we're going to go on vacation and you see the parents on their phones and tablets on vacation. what signal are you sending your kids. >> same thing at the restaurant. why bother having a conversation when everybody is on their devices. >> would you agree if you're on a long flight or restaurant, if it keeps the peace is it okay? >> how long you have rules and guidelines. then it's fine. i definitely take my ipad and my iphone and they have rules about

which games they can and cannot play and we take breaks periodically. it bothers me when i walk into the exam room and i see a teen or tween and they haven't been taught to look up and say good morning to an adult. >> eye contact. it's on my son's wish list which he is not getting. what's the appropriate age? >> you have to know your child. the maturity level and the situation they're in. are they going to school late at night? are they getting on the bus? is it a safety precaution? >> for me, my kid is 11 years old. he has a phone when he he goes for sleep overs or i feel he's in a situation where he may need to reach us. they're prepaid plans. a lot of cheap ways to get technology for your kids. >> these are questions a lot of parents are grappling with. thank you so much. if you have a question about kids and digital media, they're sticking around to answer your questions on twitter. use the #orangeroom to get connected.

coming up next, we'll tell you how to maximize your closet space on a budget with hot and handy home expert shane duffy coming u this is the quicksilver cash back card from capital one. it's not the "fumbling around with rotating categories" card. it's not the "getting blindsided by limits" card. it's the no-game-playing, no-earning-limit-having, deep-bomb-throwing, give-me-the-ball-and-i'll-take- it-to-the-house, cash back card. this is the quicksilver cash card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere, every single day. so let me ask you... what's in your wallet?

prefer the taste of gevalia house blend over the taste of starbucks house blend? not that we like tooting our own horn but... ♪ toot toot. [ male announcer ] find gevalia in the coffee aisle or at gevalia.com [ female announcer ] holiday cookies are a big job. everything has to be just right. perfection is in the details. ♪ pillsbury cookie dough. make the holidays pop! you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter. -wow! -that feels wow! [ male announcer ] oral-b deep sweep, featuring three cleaning zones that remove up to 100% more plaque than a regular manual brush.

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eat right, not less. [ woman ] hi, this looks interesting! would you like to try some hot cereal? [ women ] sure! [ female announcer ] introducing special k nourish hot cereal. special k? wow! wow! [ female announcer ] made with superfoods... i can definitely taste the quinoa. i can't believe that's less than 200 calories. [ female announcer ] ...to help you truly shine. this is a way to be good to me. [ female announcer ] nurturing yourself. what will you gain when you lose? also available in nourish nutrition bars in the diet & nutrition aisle. does this describe you? you couldn't find anything to wear this morning because your clothes are jammed together in the closet? time to get organized. >> time to maximize your space in the closet. shane duffy can help. let's take a look at a closet

you helped build and reorganize as i understand. walk me through. it doesn't take a lot of time or money to do this, right? >> the tips i'm going to show it doesn't take a lot of time or money. this particular closet it did cost a little bit because there's built ins but i'll show a cheaper and efficient way to do that if you don't have the money or the time. >> okay. first step, you have to get rid of a lot of stuff. clear things out. >> it's the holiday season. you'll probably be getting clothes as gifts anyway. so i say take a look at your closet. if you haven't worn it in over a year you're probably not going to wear it. >> it's a good time to donate it to charity. >> donate it to your favorite charity. >> lean and mean as i say. one in and one out. next thing, if you want to add some personality to your closet which is something a lot of people are doing. they're adding wallpaper or paint and design, right? >> exactly. that's the thing. once you clear your closet out you might as well touch it up. wallpaper is a great way.

textures wallpaper. texture is great. or if you don't want to do the wallpaper, throw paint up. >> and probably see things more clearly when you have something behind it. >> when you open up your closet, you want it to be an experience and not a nightmare. >> i gained a lot more room going from hangers like these to hangers like these. >> this is even more streamline. you can save two to three times as much -- you can hang up two to three times the clothes. >> here's my handy thing. icon verted this little hanger into this right here. >> oh. >> i put in eye hooks here and how you can hang up earrings and necklaces and it makes everything more streamline. >> if you can't afford putting in real shelves. >> you have a hanging canvas shelf here, right? >> yes, this is perfect. because it's cheap. it's affordable. and it does the trick.

>> it allows you to save space. >> what you do is just -- this is actually velcro and hook it over the bar. >> you can see how we completely organized. >> maximize every square inch of your closet. this is a his and her closet. this is a great divider. use it as a divider. the guys clothes are using these hangers. another really good thing for ties is a tie rack. >> i really love this divider because our closet, there's what i like to call deborah's closet creep. >> yeah. >> my stuff is out in the hall in a couple of paper bags. >> this is perfect because you can set the barrier and boundary. if you run out of shoe space -- >> right. >> you have the clear -- >> exactly. the clear boxes. the cool thing about these are they're top down open.

you don't have to lift the box up and then -- >> i was going to say, labeling also is key too. >> labeling is very important because at the end of the day, you put it up there and then three months later, what's in that box. so you want to label it and make it clear. if you run out of space in your closet, plastic bins are perfect. store them underneath your closet or bed. >> there you go. >> exactly. >> thank you so much. we'll be back in a moment. but first this is "today" on nbc.

well, because of your generous donations millions of needy children are getting a gift under the tree this year and having a much happier holiday. >> one of the companies contributing is caboodles. good to see you. >> good morning. >> we're excited to be here and i brought a check for $50,000.

$10,000 went to children's charity across the country and 40,000 to today show charitable foundation. >> thank you so much. >> what is a caboodle? >> so this is our tote, we have an extensive line of products for women. >> and preteens. make up. >> absolutely. nail polishes, you name it. a great organizing tool. >> vrg organizational, yes. >> a great gift for the holidays. we really appreciate it. thank you. >> if you'd like to donate, go to today.com for details. well, coming up, guess who? >> teen trouble. kathie lee and hoda. >> what? >> unique gifts online for you. >> plus a performance

[ female announcer ] here's to a whole world of happier holidays. time to enchant, delight and amaze. safeway will help you gather everyone 'round. a smoked, shank half ham is only 99 cents a pound. with starbucks at $6.99, serve coffee everyone savors. top it off with coffee-mate... just $2.79 for all kinds of flavors. turns out this season less is really so much more. so make your holiday merrier than ever before. safeway. ingredients for life. a nationally acclaimed youth golf coach is in jail this morning charged with 65 counts much child molestation. 31-year-old andrew nisbit was arrested saturday at livermore.

he was a golf pro and a coach. the molest aings happened between 2009 and last year. a man shot by sheriff's deputies in the south bay have died. deputies responded to calls about a possibly suicidal man inside an office near the corner of mcfarland and saratoga avenue in saratoga. it happened about noon yesterday. the sheriff's department says deputies opened fire after the man hit them with a blunt object. the suspect was rushed to the hospital where he died. the deputies were treated for minor injuries and released. let's check the forecast right now. here's christina. >> oh, it's feeling better out there already, terry. good morning to you. we do have hazy skies all across the bay area. it is a spare the air day. want to show you that murky sky in the east bay right now over oakland. you can actually see that haze very vividly. spare the air day today. l&'r&y tomorrow.y today. then we'll see some improvement as we head into friday and the upcoming weekend. temperatures, though, are going to be more comfortable. ending up in the upper 50s for kupertino. 57, los altos. 53 for you. livermore, 58 degrees.

if you ó=cñ looking for warmer days, we've got them for you starting on friday into saturday. the 60s return, and then as we fwet into the end of the weekend and next week the 70s on the )< way. some comfortable days ahead. mike, over to you. >> all right. we're looking over here where we have a smoother drive. you have a little slowing through fremont. southbound 808 into the south bay. this is leftover after the earlier backups on 237. let's look at the map. we see this whole area slow from the dunbarton bridgexxrm%ñ missn boulevard, but much better than a half hour hour. trust me, folks. an easieraçvm drive. towards woodside, still have the issue of reports of a big concrete weight that was dropped off of a truck near the accelerator. that caused that problem. there's the south bay, and there's oakland. back to you. >> more news in half hour.

>> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with kathie lee gifford and hoda kotb, from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> hello, evybody. >> hi. >> hey. i really shouldn't be doing this on the air. hey, everybody. it is wines day wednesday. so delighted you're here with us. it is december 11th. you have two weeks, missy, until christmas. it's two weeks from today. >> two weeks? >> two weeks. tell everybody how much you've done. how prepared are you? >> i've done nothing yet. we'll show our trees tomorrow because -- >> you did do that. >> kind of. haven't bought a single thing

yet. you? >> yeah. yeah. i'm finished. i am finished because i have -- ♪ help yourself a merry little christmas ♪ >> that's good. >> piano guy. >> piano guys are here. they're a lot of fun. they're from utah. they're a bunch of dads and they do these videos. and we'll help you rate your marriage. get out those number two pencils. >> all right. >> this morning it was bitter cold here in new york. >> my first winter with a dog. >> hoda is having a reality check. >> i love blake. >> i know. >> but went out at 4:30 in the morning, took him out for a spin. he loved it outside. he didn't have a coat on. >> what was the temperature? >> it was 23. >> what was the windchill? >> probably a lot colder. it was windy. >> yeah. >> i noticed as you look around new york, you see people walking dogs. they all have parkas, coats, little boots. >> scarves. ear muffs. >> i started feeling bad.

maybe he should have a coat on him. he seems to love it. >> he has his own coat anyway. beautiful little fur coat. >> i tweeted out this morning, do you have coats for your dogs? >> well, you got a response. >> people have coats for their dogs. do you know who he looks like? >> the grinch. >> he looks like gerard. >> he's adorable. >> he looks like the grinch. >> let's see the next one. >> look at the hood. that's a whole full-on thing. and what else do we have? now, do dogs need coats? what's the correct answer to the question? >> i think what they need more than coat sinces is booties becf the salt they put down for the ice. that can be damaging to their paws. he's naked out there, right? >> i didn't know the first day. there was salt. >> did you wipe it off when you got home? >> i wiped it off. they talked about those little

plastic -- what do you call them? they're disposable. >> little galoshes except they're plastic and you throw them away? am i saying it right? is that what you meant? i don't know what she wants me to say. i'm trying to be helpful. >> the disposable ones, yeah. that's what i meant. >> okay. >> we want to ask viewers, do you put a coat on your dog or is it a new york thing. >> or chicago or minneapolis or people who live in apartments. we're really talking about that. if you don't have a yard to put your dog in. >> my dog's coat isn't really thick has he has a normal coat. >> tail wagging. >> look at him. >> all right, hoda. we hear that jimmy fallon is at it once again. the man would have no career if he didn't have -- >> let's hear what he has to say. >> pros and cons of christmas in new york. here we go. pro, going to rockefeller center to see the tree get lit. con, going to the fourth hour of the "today" show to see the

hosts get lit. same place. >> turn around. there's the tree. >> don't have to move. >> don't have to move. >> who is that guy? who is that guy, getting in on the jokes? >> that was the sidekick. >> oh, i've never seen him before. >> you haven't? >> no. "the voice" was on last night. it's getting down to the nitty gritty. >> down to the top three. >> top finalists perform. two were sent home. the ones who made it are kasan, the girl we love and the other girl who we adore, on christina's team, jacque. >> i'm not sure which one she is. >> these are the bottom three. of these, two are gone. let's watch. ♪ shameless oh i don't have the power now i don't want it any how so i've got to let it go ♪

♪ without you i can't live with or without you ♪ ♪ the sound of feet upon the ground carry on no it's never gonna stop us now ♪ >> okay. and those are the three. so only one survived. one survived. >> i think it was the last one that survived. >> you do? i think it was the first one with the beard. >> we've heayou've heard them a. i'm at a disadvantage. who is it? will from team adam was saved. you were right! but wait a minute. the guy with the beard, he was so good. oh, my god. >> showbiz sucks. >> wait a second. is there no one from team blake? >> no.

>> so nobody is in the finals from -- >> "the voice" is over. >> it's not over. three people would like to think there's a chance, hoda woman. >> i can't believe team blake -- that means the streak is broken. >> yes. >> that's what i mean. he has always won! >> this is huge. >> he has won it three years in a row, right? >> yes. >> it's somebody else's turn, hoda. like when the yankees won every single -- like when the giants do. but, you know, when the yankees -- you have to have somebody else have a chance. whose team was the guy from that they saved ? >> team adam. >> sexiest man of the year. he has mojo. >> cee lo has nobody and blake has nobody. >> oh, okay. >> that's it. >> now you are up-to-date. what else is going on? a couple of musical stories since we're on the music roll, right? robin thicke and will ferrell.

>> oh, thank goodness. >> will ferrell is promoting eve everywhere he goes. >> and in a very unusual way. >> he can sing that ron burgundy. he teamed up with robin thicke to sing "ride like the wind." >> i sound good. you're riding like the wind, for those of you who don't know. ♪ i was born the son of an honest man with a girl in my hand ♪ >> is that robin thicke? >> i just love that song. whatever happened to him? >> i can't believe that's robin thicke. >> because we don't usually hear him in that register. we usually hear him in that higher register. >> you're right. >> he is a terrific musician. >> he really is. >> but i couldn't tell what ron burgundy was saying. second thing to go from your eyes is your ears. >> yeah. lea michele released her

first single off the debut album called "canonball." >> let's listen. ♪ ♪ like a canonball like a canonball ♪ >> i love it. >> there seems to be a ball thing lately. wrecking ball, canon ball. >> i love her. >> it's interesting to hear her take on something different from -- she's very successful, very, very talented. if they end up doing funny girl on the nbc musical next year -- >> you know what? you're right. >> who actually knows how to sing very well. >> you're right. >> we have to show you this photo. this is a picture of giselle bundchen multitasking getting

her makeup done, hair done and nails done while breastfeeding. the caption was, what would i do without this beauty squad after flying and only three hours of sleep? #multitasking. >> she's certainly right. i don't know how she's doing it without one arm. what happens if your nails are wet. >> her nails are getting done. >> maybe she's just getting buffed. you really do need to hold on to your baby with two -- >> i don't think she's multitasking. she already passes in that equation. >> she knew there was a camera there, something tells me. on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your relationship? >> you and i have a ten, hoda. >> we do. >> from your arguments to your sex life, the questions you should start asking each other right now. and for the person who has everything, finally, something they don't have. >> some unique items you're going to find online to make awesome gifts. you should do your shopping today, on the show. i had ongoing pain.

an intense ache all over. it was hard to do what mattered. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia... thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain. for some, as early as the first week of treatment. now, i can do more with the ones i love. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less fibromyalgia pain, i'm feeling better with lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today.

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daisy is made from only 100% natural, 100% pure ingredients with nothing else added. meals are simply better with a dollop of daisy. ♪ do a dollop of daisy i think we both are clean freaks. i used to scrub the floor on my knees. [ daughter ] i've mastered the art of foot cleaning. oh, boy. oh, boy. oh, boy. [ carmel ] that drives me nuts. it gives me anxiety just thinking about how crazy they get. [ doorbell rings ] [ daughter ] oh, wow. [ carmel ] swiffer wetjet. you guys should try this. it's so easy. oh, my. [ gasps ] i just washed this floor. if i didn't see it i wouldn't believe it. [ carmel ] it did my heart good to see you cleaning. [ regina ] yeah, your generation has all the good stuff.

[ daughter ] oh, yeah. >> how happy are you? >> eight. >> ten being perfectly happy and one being totally miserable or -- just respond instinctively. >> okay. >> ready? >> ready. >> eight. >> eight. >> that's brad pitt and angelina jolie in mr. and mrs. smith, rating their marriage. it turns out that's not such a bad deal. >> giving your marriage a numerical score can actually benefit your relationship. here with the questions you should be asking to see how yours stacks up is elizabeth bernstein, who recently wrote an article. >> here with psychotherapist, excuse us, bare neuman, and author of a new book.

>> researchers and clinicians said this would be a very good tool for people to use at home. you want to know what is wrong in your marriage and you basically can't fix something unless you know what's wrong. you also want to know what's good. you go about asking yourself what different areas of a marriage are important? >> these are the three things that you say couples should rate themselves on. my partner doesn't keep any big secrets from me. the second is my partner and i share every day news and experiences with each other. and the third is our bodies respond when we see each other. those are the three. that's all you need. >> you said something interesting early on. you know when something is wrong, but you don't know what it is? >> you don't know what it is. >> how can that be? you live with this person. you know when your sex life isn't good, right? you know when he makes you angry or she. >> genders are different. people are very often satisfied with different parts of life and different things are important to them. the crucial part about scoring is that healthy marriages always

work as a team to find out how we can make things better. it's a misnomer to think we have to wait until something is wrong and then fix it. healthy couples look at the problem as the enemy. >> but they don't know what the problem is, is my point. >> you don't know until you sit and say regularly, once a year, whatever, how are we doing? are we together making our needs met and known? how can we work together as a team to make them better? >> what is good, too, not just what is bad but what is good, too. >> sure. >> there are certain areas couples have to see eye to eye. some of these things may matter more to the husband and more to the wife. some see it as a big problem and some see it as a big yawn. >> that's what makes men and women different. we learn from each other. sex, communication. those things might be different. we say to each other, whow do w work it out?

most couples talk about their marriage in a negative rant. you never do this, you -- our love is so important, what can we both do to make it better? let's talk about how we should make it better to be best. >> shouldn't this be a conversation you have before you get married? >> yes. >> i think it's awfully a good idea to get a bit of counseling before you go into this thing, what your expectations are. >> often people go too late to marriage counseling. >> gosh, you already have issues, you're already discussing things before you get started. >> i don't think if you discuss it that mean you have a problem. that's what the healthy couples do. i've had people come to my talks 60 years they're married and say we're always working and always learning. every couple who is long-term married are still looking around the corner. what can we learn here? how can we still have fun? it's constant sbl what if one person, one part of the couple thinks the marriage is just fine

and the other one thinks they're not -- >> i talked to a lot of therapists about that. they said that is a big problem. one person who is mentally checked out and one person in denial. those kinds of marriages need some professional help. >> and that's the nice thing about scoring. sometimes when you take a questionnaire, instead of saying how is your marriage? it's okay. when you say, well, it's a four or three. oh, it's not so okay. and then you get a book, dvd, go to a therapist. you do something active. most people come to me way too late. that's the issue. >> they would say they rate it a ten. >> they do. >> they're in that blissful -- but long-term marriages -- and our wounded warriors, they come back and maybe they're not able to perform sexually or something, but something happens, a dynamic between the wife and husband and it's a sexless marriage, in a sense, but it's a deeper, richer love affair in many ways. >> sure. think about the difference --

when you say premarital counseling, that's an excellent idea but nobody is prepared for children. no one is prepared for the issues. >> or illness. >> or illness or death. that's why you have to keep checking it out. i tell people a month before your anniversary, score your marriage. not the night before, please. >> spoil. >> work at it so you hit that anniversary -- >> we could talk about this for a whole hour. thanks so much. for more information on how to find the relationship quizes head to klgandhoda.com and press the connect button. you'll give these gifts a high score, we promise.

♪ paper...bends to your will. ribbon...is an extension of your body. tape...yearns for your masterful touch. tis the season to roll out your mad skills. cause you got a toboggan load of gorgeous gifts from walmart. and they ain't gonna brightly wrap themselves. mom you own this season. get the hottest gifts. all backed by our christmas ad match guarantee. walmart. at hillshire farm spice is the spice of life. that's why our craftsmen seasoned every sausage perfectly. so you can coax out great flavor effortlessly. hillshire farm beacuse it's worth doing right. you can fill that box and pay one flat rate. i didn't know the coal thing was real. it's very real...

david rivera. rivera, david. [ male announcer ] fedex one rate. simple, flat rate shipping with the reliability of fedex. l'oreal introduces newfect. voluminous butterfly mascara. l'oreal's revolutionary asymmetric brush instantly volumizes from the root and stretches lashes towards the outer corner. bold fanned out volume. new butterfly mascara from l'oreal. cow: (tearing up) go get em' gracie! girl: bye! cow: they grow up so fast baby: (giggles) cow: my bad. girl: would you like some tea? cow: yes please. girl: o.k. cow: (sniffling) i miss her so much already. get on skype at recess! mom: we're fine. we're fine. cow: ahhhhh vo: make us part of your family.

look for nutritious dairy brands with the real california seals. mom: she's going to be done at noon. cow: (yells) noon! ahhhhhh the holidays are always a good time to show how much you care. >> scoured the internet for hidden gems and she always comes up with them.

>> you sure do. >> this is the opposite of a fruitcake. you're not going to regift them. you can get them all online. everyone loves their poochies. pastel originals, start at $45 for an original work of art, unframed, dogs in pastels. >> is that bambino? >> it is. >> gift certificate before christmas. >> that's nice. awfully late for that. thank you. >> it's not too late for this. you both should have stock in wineries all over the world. >> we're working on that. >> she's ahead of you. >> if you don't consume as much as you, you can adopt a vine for one price only for five years, you get a certificate, tag on a vine in california. after the vine matures in five years, you get vino etched with your name in it. >> how cute. >> barbour farm. >> harbour. >> i told you, the eyes are the

first to go. >> moving on to the carbohydrate factor, mini donut factory. >> stop it. >> it's a splurge, it's 149. when you count up how much you spend when you take the kids to get donuts and coffee, it makes 60 donuts in a second. >> what? >> i'm sorry, 30 in a minute. that is great. >> most popular mom in the world. >> kids would love that. >> pretty good and you don't have to pay for the donut shop. this becomes an instant heir loom. this artist hand stamps letter by letter, vintage silver plated and it says kathie lee's licks, frank, pucker up. good morning, hannah. anything you want. terrific message. >> so sweet. how much does that cost?

>> it starts at $16.50 and goes up. >> so very affordable. >> this is incredible. starts at $5. i took the liberty to send a message from you to frank. let's go to the videotape. >> i can't wait. >> meet me under the mistletoe in the living room at 8:00 pm. come unwrapped. nobody wants to see that. >> we'll change it. come wrapped, frank, if you're watching. >> i thought it meant me. okay. >> adorable. >> you send it in and they send you a link or something? >> and you send it to anybody you want. >> okay. covered toilet paper. everybody needs it. >> yes. you can only get it at gracious home right now. fantastic from europe. you give it to the person who has everything. >> okay. >> last, but not least in old-time europe, everyone had a monogram. you can have one, too. look at hoda. >> look at hoda's.

wow! >> where would one use that without looking like you're totally in love w ♪

(associate) hi! where did you come from? oh... sorry. welcome to petsmart! aren't you kris...? christmas shopping? uh... yes. i have a list of... good girls and boys? good treats and toys. okay... (announcer) at petsmart, we care as much about your pet's happiness as you do. that's why we offer a wide variety of unique toys and tasty treats - they make perfect holiday gifts. celebrate your pet, celebrate the season! at petsmart®. good morning. 10:26. the contra costa health department has issued a smoke advisory as a precaution because of a fire in concorde. take a look at what it looked like just moments after flames erupted at the all phone company near the buchanan airport.

crews now tell us they have the fire contained. the owner says part of the roof collapsed. the cause unknown right now. air crash at sfo is now underway, and are you looking live at washington d.c. at the marathon session going on cramming two days worth of hearings into one after yesterday's hearing was canceled because of a snowstorm. if you would like to watch, we're streaming the hearing live on nbc bay area.com. we'll have more on both of these stories during our next newscast at 11:00. we'll take a look at weather and traffic after this.

welcome back. good wednesday morning to you. temperatures will be mild later on this afternoon. climbing into the upper 50s so we're looking good there, and, yeah, it's going to be the warmest day we've had so far this week. want to show you the east bay. the one cavat of high pressure building in is we do have unhealthy levels of pollution for today. that will likely be the case as we head through tomorrow as well. then finally looking towards some better days on both friday and saturday as we hit an area of low pressure that passes to our north. we're looking good, improving air quality as we get into the end of the week. let's check your drive. good morning, cc)q >> good morning. some of the source of the pollution unfortunately my turf right here. this is south 880 through fremont, and we still have a slower drive starting to improve a bit. this is one of the last areas with big slowing. here look at the maps. the slower drive in the orange zone. that's better still coming up past the 50-mile-per-hour mark all the way down to the south bay. we have the south bay itself with just north 101 and north 280 with the last slowdown. all crashes are clear from the

freeways themselves. 87th still a tough drive into san jose, and all the slowing south 280. sand hill road, no update on whether they've cleared the cement weight. ♪ ♪ i did it my way welcome back to more of "today" on this wines day wednesday. we're here to play "who knew." today is the anniversary of baseball legend joe dimaggio's retirement. so to honor that we are testing your knowledge not on baseball but of all things retirement. kathie lee is across the street at the nbc experience store. she's ready to hand out $100 to those who get it right, and to those who don't, you get her cd. here to help me is aarp magazine contributor barbara hannah brukerman. ready? >> yeah, who knew life could be so great after 50. >> let's see. all right. >> it's not. i'm just kidding. from memphis, right? >> right. >> jack nicholson played a man facing retirement in which 2002 film?

>> um, "as good as it gets." >> you know this has 14 great songs on it. >> she looks happy. the correct answer is "about schmidt." >> yes, jack nicholson, we love him. he's a bad boy. i think his sense of calling being the poster child for how to be cool as how you get older. look at his movies, about retiring, like the bucket list. it is about living your best life after 50. >> back across. >> you're here from indiana. indianapolis, she said. indianapolis, i think she said. what is the current average age of retirement in america? 57, 59, 61 or 63? >> 6. >> i think that's right. >> 61. >> yeah, good job. ten years ago, it was 59. it really is climbing steadily up, according to aarp.

a lot of americans are pushing retiring further and further away. >> sure. >> that's one of the big reasons why aarp dropped retire from its name officially a few years ago. there's a big trend happening in america. people are retiring from their first jobs and going into their second and sometimes third, like i did. >> excellent. back across to kath. >> you're from birmingham, right? >> yes, ma'am. >> which of these musical acts has never signaled their intention to retire with a "farewell" tour? >> cher. >> oh, no. cher said good-bye, i think, five times. >> yeah. the correct answer here, the only group is the rolling stones. >> they just keep on rolling, right? >> they do. >> they all do. all these other acts do, too. even though they did say bye-bye, like barbra streisand in 2000, she came back in 2006 and gene simmons from kiss just said recently we have a good five to ten years left. and cher is actually coming back

in 2014 with a huge world tour. >> yeah. she's something. >> just rockin' and rollin'. >> back across to kath. >> gentleman from chicago. which state has the greatest number of people over 65? florida, california, new york or arizona? >> going to have to go with florida. >> you're going to love this cd. it's really good. >> i would have guessed florida, too. but the correct answer, california. >> sure. well, yes, because it's a very tricky question. according to aarp, the largest percentage is in florida, but the largest number of people over 65 is in california. >> that's a trick question. >> it's so cold here right now, i would go to either of those places even though i'm only 56. let's go. >> back across to kath. >> another birthday girl here from the beautiful town of atlanta. all of the following celebrities will turn 65 in 2014 except -- who is it? bruce springsteen, meryl streep, vick vicki lawrence or pierce

brosnan? >> let's say pierce brosnan. >> happy birthday. wow! >> i can't believe that bruce springsteen, meryl streep and vicki lawrence are turning 65. >> i know. they should be shouting to the world, this is what 65 looks like. let's talk about pierce brosnan. he is 60 and is handsome. all of us are showing how to age well and how great life can be after 50. they just keep on going. >> thank you so much. kathie lee will come back across the street. we're going to talk holiday gadgets for yourself or for a friend. and who knew they had 300 million views on youtube? the very talented piano guys show us what they've got. first, these messages. walmart invited hundreds of kids to play with the hottest new gifts for christmas. like, disney infinity on the nintendo wiiu. there's so many characters and it's really fun. this game's pretty great because i can make whatever i want. (laughing)

it's so cool, because you can make creative stuff. whoa. i can play the games on here while he's watching tv. i want disney infinity and the wiiu for christmas. walmart has the hottest gifts chosen by kids... like disney infinity and the nintendo wiiu bundle with two bonus games. games rated e to e 10+. walmart. fella who gets his salsa from new york city. new york city? uh-huh. [ male announcer ] pace has that big, bold kick. anything else just ain't right. pace. grab the southwest by the bottle. what does that first anythspoonful taste likok.ight. honey bunches of oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mmmm! wow! it's the oats. honey. yeah. honey bunches of oats. this is a great cereal. of your most hypnotic lips. new color elixir creamy lip lacquer from maybelline new york. the magic? our trio of concentrates creates the saturated color and shine of a lacquer the cushiony feel of a balm.

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>> here with the gadgets, author of "gadget nation," steve greenberg. hi, steve. love your ugly sweater. >> that is hideous. >> with lasers opening packages and we made -- the hem here is like -- >> that is great. >> of course, you need to complete the look with fancy santa hat (jts jingle bells. jingle bells ♪ >> do you like that? >> no. >> moving along. >> somebody will. >> let's dim the lights, shall we? >> musical pathway lights. the motion sensors would trigger this as you come up the pathway. 30 different songs come along with it. and lights the way as your guests come to your home. >> is that affordable? >> about $80.

haemmacher schlemmer. >> if you do it up your whole drive way it could be a problem. >> you get three with that. >> if you have a brother-in-law you want to control. >> teenager. >> put it on here, set the lock. they can't get to the liquor that way. >> no, no, no. >> that's from amazon wine. >> perfect. >> next. >> thank you, hoda. >> these are candy cane spoons. they're spoons made out of candy canes. >> clever. >> dip them in hot chocolate or put them in hot chocolate. i'll try it. >> that's very clever. >> delicious. >> there you go. what a smart idea. from partycity.com. >> adorable. >> next for in the morning, reindeer waffles. >> this is so cute. >> reindeer waffles, chef's choice. >> you don't have to eat each prop, you know. >> you can put other things in or just that one?

>> that is it. you bring it out once a year. >> but it's adorable. >> you could do it all winter. >> wayfarer.com, $50. >> not bad. >> shall we dim the lights again? >> absolutely. please dim the lights. light show power strip. put ordinary lights into this power strip. you can make flashing lights, do the chase. whole bunch of different options. >> i like the chase. >> $25. there's an indoor version, outdoor version. >> do you shop on skymall? >> i love skymall. >> great, great stores. >> lot of great things there. >> absolutely. >> making a tree easier to deal with. snowflake thirsty ornament. you hang it on your tree like a regular ornament but a string goes down into the pot. when it's dry, the light starts to flash to remind you to water

your tree. >> do you know how much water that tree outside takes? >> how much? >> 90,000 gallons a day. >> are you kidding? >> 90,000 gallons a day? >> it's true. >> check on that. >> somebody google it. it's true. 90,000 gallons a day. >> this tree doesn't handle that much. but this is a funnel. >> that tree is plastic. >> well, yeah. it goes down on the side. you put it at the top. >> tree nanny. very cute. >> and it has a thing here that will play music when it's dry as well. >> good stuff. >> always a pleasure. ho, ho, ho. >> ho, ho, ho. >> yeah. they rose to fame covering everyone from adele to one direction's hits known as the piano guys. >> love them. >> it's great. [ male announcer ] meet felix. he knows every beat, every note,

and every word to danny's songs. [ felix meows ] and danny knows exactly how to keep his lifetime fan, going strong. because he knows cats need meat, and it's why he only feeds him iams. with 2 times the meat of other leading brands. to keep his body as strong as a love that never misses a beat. iams. keep love strong. with 2x the meat. love the iams difference or your money back. soft, luxurious, so comfortable. indulge in the warmth of the season with our embraceable pajamas. exclusively at soma and soma.com. where beautiful gifts begin. all the natural energy found in peanuts? caramel works. payday. crunchy, roasted peanuts and soft, delicious caramel come together to give you sweet energy. payday. fill up and go. [ ding ]

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- hi, i'm martha. if you know me, you know i don't do many ads, which is why when i say pine brothers softish throat drops are the best throat drops in america for minor sore throat irritation, then you can believe it. nothing on the market soothes your throat as effectively and deliciously as pine brothers. in fact, they're more than just a throat drop. they're an experience. please give pine brothers softish throat drops a try and find out why i'm such a fan of this wonderful product. thanks. female announcer: since 1870.

>> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today," brought to you by toyota. >> since we're looking at the tree, i want to make one quick correction before we begin. do you remember how i said there were 90,000 gallons. >> every day. >> to keep the rockefeller tree watered? >> every day. >> apparently i was incorrect. i told so many people. it's 90 gallons. >> just a little difference. >> i told everyone. >> takes a big woman to admit her mistakes. there are four musical guys that can make one instrument sound like a simpymphony. >> their youtube videos have been viewed 1 million times. now they're back with -- >> just made the billboard top 20. >> top 20. >> even in the tease, watching you do your thing, you have so

much fun. >> you two know all about fun, too. >> thank you, but you guys are really talented. >> nice to be back. we appreciate it. we cannot believe that a classically instrumented song is in the top 20. >> there's an audience for that out there. >> did you know each other way before or how did it come to be? >> it was kind of crazy but hee miraculous. you know those relationships that you think back and think how did that happen? that kind of happened with us. here we are with 90,000 albums. no, wait, was it 90 -- i can't remember. >> that is cruel. i liked them before. i'm teasing. you guys get stopped on the street before -- >> somebody asking for directions, yeah. >> you get the chicks. you get the chicks.

>> we have beautiful wives, thanks to our music. that's right. our title track on the album. "angels we have heard on high," four guys on a piano. >> we're so excited, you guys. here they are, the piano guys. ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ >> oh, gosh. >> that was fantastic, you guys. the piano guys. we love that. merry christmas, guys. we'll be back with some special guests, but first this is "today" on nbc. >> so good! [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world

of happier holidays. time to enchant, delight and amaze. safeway will help you gather everyone 'round. a smoked, shank half ham is only 99 cents a pound. with starbucks at $6.99, serve coffee everyone savors. top it off with coffee-mate... just $2.79 for all kinds of flavors. turns out this season less is really so much more. so make your holiday merrier than ever before.

safeway. ingredients for life.

the holidays snuck up on us pretty fast this year. our toy drive was ready and gifts are on their way to children all across the united states. >> those children get to receive gifts but they get to give an adult in their life a gift as well with the help of elena -- or is it elena? >> elena. >> i'm sorry. he likes to be called torii and

lia sophia jewelry. >> we have a great gift this year. >> on behalf of our sales advisers we have 2,500 pieces of jewelry worth $165,000 donating to the toy drive this year. this is our fifth year doing it. >> we know you guys are very philanthropic. tell us about that. >> we're a company about women. we believe we have to recognize the mothers, caregivers. that's why we're here today. we've had a ten-year partnership with dress for success, which i know you both -- >> wonderful organization. >> we give 3 million annually to them. we really believe when you feel great on the outside, it allows you to step confidently out into the world. >> makes so much different. >> we see that with our own sales advisers. our business model is for them to empower their lives, wear a beautiful piece of jewelry, have a flexible schedule. >> your stuff is also very affordable. >> thanks, you guys. merry christmas.

>> we really appreciate it. >> you do great work all year round. >> you certainly do. >> our toy drive continues through december 20th. go on

that breaking news is in the e bay where fbi confirms bank robbery suspect was shot by officers in san rafael. >> it happened near the north gate mall just west of highway 101. we'll bring you more details as they come into our newsroom. >> we definitely want to say good morning to you, and thank you for joining us. i'm laura garcia cannon. >> i'm terry sweeney. happening now the ntsb hearing on the asiana aircraft near sfo is entering its sixth hour. you are looking live in washington d.c. snow canceled yesterday's hearing. the ntsb combining two days worth of testimony into just one. >> nbc bay area'sn@f4ç chase ca live in burlingame where they are closely monitoring the hearing. thank you, chase.